Whatever It Takes
by Genevieve Kelly
Summary: Tony is hiding a big secret from Gibbs and the rest of his team out of fear for their safety. However, when the secret comes out, they discover that Tony's life is in serious jeopardy. They fight to save him in time from unknown enemies.
1. Chapter 1

Whatever It Takes

Chapter One

Late Tuesday Night…

The Starry Night Motel has been around just outside of Washington DC for several years. It was old, worn down, and in the middle of nowhere, which explained why the rooms were vacant most nights. Usually, the individuals who stayed here were people who were hiding their affairs from their spouses or the public.

Tonight, one room was rented for a couple doing just that. The woman worked as a call girl from a popular sex web site. She called herself Sugarplum. The man was a politician; a candidate for Governor in the upcoming election in the state of Maryland. He was a married man, but he married the poor woman only for her money.

The two of them had just finished paying and walked into the room, which the desk clerk had given them the keys to. As the woman pulled the man inside and began to unbutton his shirt, they lay on the bed without turning on the lights. However, as soon as they touched the bed, the woman screamed and they both jumped up. On the bed was the body of a young man who was stripped naked. All he wore were his dog tags around his neck. This boy was in the military.

Early the next morning…

The last few weeks at the NCIS base had been slow. Both Ziva and McGee had teased Tony about using the extra time on his hands to catch up on his backed up paperwork. Even though he made jokes about doing so and would make up excuses for not getting it done during work hours, Tony actually would come in after hours to do it. The reason for coming in after everyone went home was something that he just wasn't ready to share with anyone; not now anyway.

Gibbs was the first to arrive at the office that morning and as he entered the bullpen, he found Tony asleep at his desk with an open file underneath his head. At first, the older man smiled, until he thought about the reasons why Tony might be here at this hour. Gibbs figured that Tony was having a hard time since their return from Mexico and what bothered him the most was that the young man, whom he considered to be a son, was probably hurting because of him.

Before Gibbs could think more about what happened then, other agents began to arrive and so he bent down and gently tapped Tony on his back to wake him up. Tony jumped up, startled to find Gibbs towering over him. He looked around and realized that he had lost track of time. He never meant to fall asleep.

Gibbs looked at his protégé and asked, "Tony, are you all right?"

Tony replied, "Hey, Boss! Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry about that. I was having a great dream. At least I think I was a great dream. I don't really remember what it was about. What time is it anyway?"

"It's six-thirty, DiNozzo," Gibbs answered. "You've been here all night again. You can't keep doing this. If you do, you are going to wear yourself out. I need you to be on the ball and fully alert if you are going to work in the field."

"Don't worry about me, Boss," Tony said. "I'm just fine. I've just been catching up on the paperwork that I have put off for too long."

Gibbs responded, "DiNozzo, you caught up on the paperwork awhile ago. Besides, if you really had work to do, you've had plenty of time to do it during the day. What's going on?"

Tony just looked down at his desk and before he could reply, Director Vance walked over to them and asked to see Gibbs up in his office. Tony was relieved that his boss was interrupted by the Director.

The elevator opened again, as both Ziva and McGee walked in and starred at Tony as they walked over toward his desk. They wondered how it was that DiNozzo of all people made it to work before they did.

Ziva asked, "Not that I am complaining about not having to call you to wake you up before Gibbs yells at you for being late, but what are you doing here so early, Tony?"

McGee added, "I agree with Ziva. You are rarely in before we are. Is everything ok?"

"If you two really must know, I came in early just to see what your reaction would be," Tony answered.

"That doesn't really make a whole lot of sense," Ziva said. "Whatever, I just hope that we actually have something to do today instead of sitting here and swirling our thumbs."

"It's twirling, Ziva," Tony corrected her.

Ziva looked at him and asked, "What is twirling?"

Tony replied, "Your thumbs, you know? You twirl your thumbs, not swirl them. Anyway, I agree. I am getting bored just sitting here and doing nothing."

"And I would have thought that you would appreciate the time to fool around and slack off," McGee responded.

"Normally Probie, I would, except that…" Tony answered as he was suddenly interrupted by Gibbs as he walked into the bullpen.

"Gear up and McGee, go gas the truck," he said. "We've got a body in a motel just outside of the city. Let's go."

Tony grabbed his backpack from behind his desk and shouted, "We're right behind you, Boss. I wonder what kind of story this body will tell us. It's probably a soldier who was cheating on another soldier's wife while he is still deployed in Iraq. It's so sad that it is so common."

Ziva replied, "I can only imagine the images that are going through your mind right now. Actually, I really would rather not. I know what kind of images are going through your mind and I don't want to get them in mine."

All four of them drove off to the motel. It wasn't a long ride, but Tony managed to annoy both Ziva and McGee as he always did. Gibbs concentrated on his thoughts that he had from earlier about the agent who hid behind the face of a clown whenever there was someone around. He made a mental note to take time later that day to ask Tony what was really going on. However, a soldier needed his mind clear in order to find the clues that would lead the team to the killer.


	2. Chapter 2

Whatever It Takes

Chapter Two

At the motel…

Both Ducky and Palmer arrived just a few minutes behind Gibbs and the rest of the team. Ducky complimented Palmer for not getting them lost as he usually did. The young man, whom Tony called the autopsy gremlin from time to time, seemed to grow up more and more each day. Ducky was proud of him.

Once they entered the hotel room, they found the naked body of a young man on the bed, wearing his dog tags. Gibbs was the first to reach the body, as he leaned down to confirm what he already knew. The soldier was a petty officer in the navy.

Tony walked around the opposite side of the bed as he was the first to speak saying, "So, he was probably here to sleep with the call girl waiting for us to talk to her out in the hallway."

Gibbs replied, "Nope, the call girl was the one who found the body, along with someone else."

"If she was here with someone else, then why isn't he out there too," Ziva asked as she examined the body for herself?

"Let me guess," Tony answered for Gibbs. "The man is a politician, who called in some favors to be left out of the investigation in order to avoid the press finding out the truth that he is a sleazy scumbag."

Gibbs looked over at Tony and smiled as he asked, "Were you listening to the conversation between me and the Director this morning, DiNozzo?"

Tony chuckled as he responded, "You mean I was right? Hah! I mean, no Boss. It was just a good guess. I'd never try to overhear a conversation between you and the Director without permission."

"You mean unless it concerned you," McGee said.

"Maybe if it concerned me," Tony answered. "Sorry, Boss. So, what was it that the Director told you about this?"

Gibbs replied, "The politician who was here came into town for some kind of meeting and then came here for a secret rendezvous with a call girl by the name of Sugarplum. The Director has asked us to make do with her story of what happened and to forget about talking to the man. He wants to make sure that his name does not come out at all."

Ziva asked, "We are not actually going to listen to that order, are we? I mean, hookers are known to lie to avoid going to prison."

Tony cut in saying sarcastically, "And a politician doesn't? Please, they are the worst when dealing with this kind of situation. They will tell every possible lie until they screw up their story so much that they can no longer keep it straight and the truth comes out."

"Which is why I am going to go and talk with him as soon as we are done here," Gibbs said as he looked up at Tony. "DiNozzo, you get to come with me when I do. For right now, I want you to snap the pictures. McGee, bag and tag. And Ziva, I want you to go and talk with Sugarplum. Be nice to the girl."

"You got it, Boss," McGee said as he began to look around the room for any evidence that would lead them to the killer.

"Hey, Probie," Tony jibed. "Just be sure to not miss anything like you did last time. We don't need to spend more time on this case than we have to."

Tim McGee just ignored Tony's jibe remark and turn away from him in order to do his job. At the last crime scene they were at, McGee ended up missing out on a vital piece of evidence because his mind was more focused on getting his phone bill straightened out. Tony had been teasing him ever since.

Gibbs walked back over toward the body of the petty officer, who was being looked over by Ducky and Palmer. At first glance of the body, Gibbs could see that there were no obvious marks that showed what killed him. So, Gibbs bent down to take a closer look.

As he did so, he asked, "So, Duck, do you have a cause of death for me?"

Ducky kept examining the body as he responded, "As I am sure you have noticed, Jethro, there are no obvious marks that show how this poor lad died. However, from the looks of his pupils and the fact that he is, or was at the time wet, I'd say that he drowned."

"How could he have drowned," Tony asked? "I mean, there are no bodies of water anywhere around him and there is no bathtub."

"I'm afraid that there are several different ways to drown a victim, my Boy," Ducky answered. "All of them quite unpleasant I am afraid."

Gibbs shook his head and asked, "Do you have a time of death?"

Palmer replied, "It's hard to say because of the body being wet down and what appears to be washed, as well as the liver temperature, I'd say that the closest time of death was sometime around eight o'clock pm."

"Boss, I'm going to go get some more film from the car," Tony said before Gibbs could say anything more to Palmer or Ducky.

"Did you get pictures of everything already," Gibbs asked as Tony was about to step out of the room?

Tony looked at him and responded, "Yeah, but I just wanted to make sure I was thorough."

The retired marine replied, "Don't worry about getting anymore. Just go ahead and meet me at my car while I finish talking to Ducky. I want to go talk to politician before he has too much more time to come up with a story."

"Sure thing, Gibbs," Tony said as he walked out of the room.

Tony walked out of the motel through the lobby and headed to Gibbs' car. He opened the back door on the right side of the car and pulled out the empty camera bag in order to put the camera away. However, before he did, he took out the film, which he just had finished using, put it in one of the envelopes they used to keep it in, wrote on the envelope the date and case number, and placed it in his inside coat pocket.

Just as he was straightening up and getting ready to close the car door, a shot suddenly flew right past his face, as another one quickly followed, this time grazing his arm. Tony quickly ducked behind the car using it for cover, as more bullets were fired around him. He grabbed his arm to make sure that it was nothing serious and kept his head down as glass came crashing down on him from the car windows, windshield, and side mirror.

Still inside the motel room…

Ziva finally walked over to Gibbs to explain to him what she had learned from Sugarplum. However, before she could get too into the explanation, shots were suddenly fired from somewhere outside. Ducky and Palmer ducked down, as Gibbs, Ziva, and McGee all quickly pulled out their guns and ran out toward the sound of the gunshots.

Back outside…

Tony pulled out his gun and held it, but kept it tucked close to him. As the shots finally slowed down, he cautiously raised his head to see if he could tell where the shots were being fired from. As he did so, another shot was fired overhead, barely missing his head. He ducked back down and just raised his arm with his gun in hand to take a few shots of his own.

As Tony did so, he saw Gibbs, Ziva, and McGee come rushing out of the motel to his aid, all of whom were now firing their own shots toward the woods behind Tony, where the shots at him were being fired from. Neither of them could see who was shooting at Tony, but the woods gave him good cover.

The shots all stopped suddenly and the agents realized that whoever it was firing upon them was no longer around. Ziva and McGee slowly approached the direction from which the shots had come, as Gibbs ran over to Tony.

"Tony, are you hit," Gibbs asked?

"It's nothing but a graze, Boss," Tony answered. "I'm fine. I'm more shaken up than anything else. It looks like whoever killed our petty officer, doesn't want us around to look for clues that will lead us to him. Maybe we'll get lucky and find something in the evidence that will help us to solve it quickly."

"My gut tells me that that is just wishful thinking," Gibbs replied. "I'll help you up. Come on."

Ziva and McGee came walking back toward them as Ziva said, "The shooter is gone. All I found were some shell casings and footprints in the dirt. Whoever it was, they were good. He or she found a perfect spot to hide with plenty of cover. We may even be dealing with a professional."

McGee looked at her, then at Gibbs and responded, "If it's a professional, then the chances of us finding fingerprints on the casings are not good."

Tony looked at them both and replied, "I think if it were a professional, I would be dead. They had an opportunity to kill me when I walked out to the car."

"Let's just get the evidence back to Abby," Gibbs said. "Hopefully, she'll be able to give us some answers."

Gibbs got into the driver's seat, Tony sat in the passenger seat, while McGee and Ziva got into the back. Just as Gibbs was about to drive off, he looked over at Tony's hands, which were placed on his lap, and saw that they were shaking. As if he sensed that Gibbs was watching him, Tony quickly moved his hands from his lap and just stared out the window. Gibbs knew that something more was troubling his agent, but decided to remain quiet for the trip back to the base. He would talk to him when they could have a bit more privacy.


	3. Chapter 3

Whatever It Takes

Chapter Three

Back at the Navy base…

Once they arrived back at the base, Gibbs told McGee and Ziva to bring Abby the evidence that they collected from the crime scene. He told Tony to follow Ducky and Palmer down to autopsy to get his arm looked at and taken care of. Tony tried to make excuses for not doing so, but Gibbs made it an order. Tony never turned down an order from him, except for when Tony felt that his boss' life was at stake.

Gibbs never liked to involve other people in his problems, just like the time that he went off alone to save Maddie, his daughter's best friend. If it weren't for Tony, he'd be dead because he was too proud to involve his team. This was one trait he had instilled in Tony that he wasn't so proud of. Tony was just as self-sacrificing.

Gibbs walked through the bullpen and up to the Director's office to let him know what happened. As he did, Vance pulled the toothpick from out of his mouth and stood up to face Gibbs.

He spoke up saying, "Do you think that the shooting has something to do with the Governor candidate wanting to keep his affair a secret? If word got out, then it would ruin his political career."

Gibbs answered, "I'm not really sure if it is or not, but before the shooting happened, I was planning on taking DiNozzo to go question him."

"Even though I warned you not to this morning," Vance asked?

"I think you knew that I would do it anyway, Leon," Gibbs replied with a smirk on his face. "I understand discretion, but I do whatever it takes to bring down a killer. I don't care about a person's political career. If he didn't want to screw it up, he shouldn't have been sneaking around having affairs in the first place. He screwed it up himself."

Vance nodded and said, "I agree. Try to keep it discreet, but do what you have to do. For the record, I did know you planned on questioning him anyway. I just needed to give you the warning in order to save myself in case this gets out of control. By the way, how is DiNozzo?"

As Gibbs was about to leave the room, he responded, "He'll be just fine. His shoulder was only grazed. I'm still going to take him with me when he is finished being checked out by Ducky."

Vance replied, "Very good. Keep me in the loop."

Gibbs walked out of the Director's office and down to autopsy to check on Tony and then talk to Ducky. Gibbs sensed that something was bothering Tony and wanted to see if Ducky knew what it possibly could be. Ducky was more in tune with sensing people when they were troubled. He doubted that Tony would tell him.

Meanwhile…

As Ziva and McGee entered the forensics lab, loud, heavy metal music was blaring as usual. Abby was hunched over one of her machines trying to get it to work. McGee stepped up next to her and tapped her lightly on her back. As he did so, she spun around and smacked him on his shoulder.

"Timmy, don't sneak up on me like that," Abby said in a surprised voice as she quickly turned down her music. "You know better. What do you have for me today?"

"Sorry, Abby," Tim replied. "I was only trying to get your attention. We have some evidence from a crime scene for you to take a look at. It is kind of important that it gets analyzed as soon as possible. Whoever killed this petty officer, just tried to kill us as well and Gibbs is on the warpath."

Abby cried, "What do you mean somebody just tried to kill you guys, McGee? Are you all alright? Why didn't you tell me?"

McGee stuttered as he answered, "Uh, I just did tell you Abs. We are all fine. Gibbs is just on edge and angry. You know how he gets when this happens."

"Then, why is there blood on your shirt," the Goth asked as she looked at Ziva? "Were you hit, Ziva?"

"No, the blood is not mine," Ziva said. "It's Tony's. Do not worry, he is fine as Tim said he was. A bullet just skimmed his arm. There was only a little bit of blood. I suppose it got on me when I checked him out."

Both Abby and McGee chuckled as she said that and McGee replied, "I think you mean when you checked his wound out."

Ziva nodded and responded, "Yes, that is what I mean. Besides, I checked Tony out when we first met and I was not impressed. I also checked out McGee. I was not impressed by you, either."

"Very funny," McGee said as he turned back to Abby. "Let me know if you need help with your machine."

Abby and Ziva laughed together as McGee left the room and Ziva quickly ran after him to catch up. Abby turned back to her computer to finish fixing it so that she could begin on the evidence.

In Ducky's lab…

Gibbs walked in and over to where Tony was sitting on one of the slabs in the middle of the room, getting his arm looked at by Ducky. Apparently, the bullet grazed his arm bad enough for him to need a few stitches, but it definitely wasn't serious by any means.

"I told you that I was fine, Gibbs," Tony said. "It is just a few stitches. No big deal."

"This may not be serious, young man, but you mustn't think that just because you are fine now, it means that you do not have to take it easy," Ducky replied before Gibbs could.

Tony jumped down from the table and answered, "Relax, Ducky. I'm not going to do anything stupid. Besides, Gibbs and I are only going to question a witness, or a suspect. The manager of the motel said that the politician was a regular there and had been staying in that room for a few days already. The petty officer may have been the husband or boyfriend of the stripper."

Tony left the room as Gibbs walked up to Ducky and asked, "Hey Duck, have you noticed anything strange about how Tony's been acting lately?"

"You mean, have I noticed that he seems to be a bit nervous and comes back to the office after everyone goes home," Ducky answered? "My answer is yes. He is not getting much sleep either. Something is troubling the poor lad."

"What can I do," Gibbs asked as he sighed? "You know Tony as well as I do. He won't tell me the truth about what is bothering him. I've rubbed off my weaknesses onto him."

Ducky responded, "Just be patient with him, Jethro. He just needs you to be there for him when he falls. He will tell you when he is ready.

Gibbs nodded and thanked Ducky as he walked out of the room and followed Tony back up to the bullpen. After a few minutes, they were both back in Gibbs' car and on their way to go see Roger Timmons, candidate for the new Governor of Maryland.


	4. Chapter 4

Whatever It Takes

Chapter Four

While in the car, Tony continued to stare out the window, as he did on the way back to the navy base from the motel. After driving in silence for about a half hour, Gibbs reached over and placed a hand on Tony's shoulder. As he did so, Tony's reaction was just as he expected; he jumped.

"Tony, I want to know what's been going through your mind lately," Gibbs finally spoke. "And don't tell me that nothing is bothering you. You're jumpy, nervous, and you haven't been sleeping. Instead, you've been busying yourself with work or maybe visiting the bars to drink in order to avoid going home. What are you hiding from us?"

"It's nothing, Boss, Tony answered. "I'm fine, really. It's just that for some reason I'm not sleeping too well and I'd rather work than just stare at my ceiling all night. And I'm not drinking either; much. I'm not going to crash and I won't let you guys down.

Gibbs replied, "I'm not worried about you letting us down, Tony. I am just worried about you. Something is obviously troubling you. You know you can talk to me. Is this about what happened in Mexico?"

Tony looked over at Gibbs for the first time and responded, "No, Gibbs. Is that what you think this is about? No, believe me, I understand why you did what you did. Reynosa kidnapped your father, and nearly killed him. If it were my dad, I would have killed her too. You were protecting your family."

"So, the fact that I shot her in the head after I had disarmed her didn't bother you at all," Gibbs asked?

"I promise you that I am perfectly fine with you killing her like that, Boss," Tony answered. "Besides, I killed Detective Rivera. That was pretty cold on my part. You didn't have to ask me to keep the truth from Director Vance or the rest of the team. I would have anyway and I'm fine with doing so."

"You're a good man, Tony," Gibbs said. "Which is why I care about your wellbeing. Please talk to me. If it isn't Mexico, than what is it?"

Tony turned his head back toward the window and responded, "It's just that the team has been under a lot of strain lately. First, because of Jenny's death and getting split up, then, the thing with Michael Rivkin and Ziva being dead for three months, and finally with the whole Mexico ordeal. Most of these mistakes are mine. We are very lucky to still be a team. Part of me just wonders if I deserve to be a part of it. That's all."

Gibbs pulled the car over to the side of the road and turned to look Tony right in eyes as he replied, "Tony, I want you to listen to me. None of those things was your fault and by the way, Mexico was mine. Our team is still together because you, Ziva, and Tim are the best three agents we have in NCIS. Director Vance knows that, which is why he has stuck up for us every time something makes us look bad. You are the best agent I have, which is why you are my lead agent. I trust you with my life. Are you sure that this is all that is bothering you?"

"I'm sure," Tony lied. "Thank you for the high praise, Gibbs. It means a lot."

Gibbs started up the car and they drove off once again toward their destination. He was still unsure if Tony was telling him the whole truth. Tony was still quiet and seemed to be very deep in thought.

Gibbs was angry with himself for allowing Tony to feel that the crap their team has been through in the last few years was his fault. He never meant for the pressure and heat to build up on him and he should have noticed the weight that his lead agent was feeling. He was too preoccupied with his own problems.

Tony was a sensitive kid because of all the neglect he received from his own father. He tried hard not to show it by acting like a clown and all of the movie quotes that he annoys the others with. He just wanted to know that he was appreciated. Tony used to only be able to stay at his previous jobs for the most of two years. However, he's been with NCIS now for over ten years. Gibbs knew how important his job and this team meant to him and he was not going to let anyone or anything cause him to lose it.

Several hours later…

Gibbs and Tony both walked up to the door at Roger Timmons' home in Maryland. The door opened to reveal a short man dressed in a suit. They both figured that this man was Timmons' butler. Rich and fancy men usually had one and Roger was obviously rich from the size of his home and the car that was parked out front.

After Gibbs introduced himself and Tony as special agents from NICS, the butler tried to tell them that his boss was not accepting any visitors, whether they are cops or the press. He told them that Timmons had nothing to say to anyone and tried to close the door on them. However, Gibbs stopped him and pushed his way into the house. Tony followed right behind him.

The butler stepped in front of them and guided them to a room just in from the entryway. The man asked them to wait there while he went to go talk with his boss. Gibbs just stood still and waited, while Tony walked around the room to look at all of the paintings and furnishings.

"This stuff is ridiculously expensive," Tony said. "Between the size of the house, the car, and all of this; it's no wonder this guy can afford strippers. He's loaded. My dad used to own things like this; actually I think he still does. Despite being broke, the man won't sell any of the things that make him look like he is an important man. Instead, he cons people out of their money. Image is everything to him. It's sickening. Am I like going to be like this one day? I mean, I already love the expensive shoes and fancy cars."

"You aren't him, DiNozzo," Gibbs replied. "He's a fool and a con man. You're not."

Tony nodded his head as Roger Timmons walked in the room. The man was dressed in a fancy suit and wore shoes that were even more expensive than Tony ever wore. He looked angry for being interrupted from whatever he was working on.

He was the first to speak saying, "I am afraid, gentlemen, that I am not in the mood to talk to anyone at the moment. I am very busy with the election coming up. It is a lot of work, as I am sure you know. I will have the butler show you out."

Gibbs glared at the man and responded, "Roger Timmons, my name is Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs and this is my partner, Special Agent Tony DiNozzo from NICS. I think you know why we're here."

"I made calls to your superiors, Agent Gibbs," Timmons replied. "They assured me that no one would question me about my involvement with the woman at the motel. That is my business; no one else's."

"You're right," Tony answered. "You're affair with a stripper is not any of our business, but the body of a petty officer in the Navy is. We want to know if you knew who that man was and why he was in your room. The stripper wasn't very helpful, as I am sure you can imagine."

"I know nothing about the man you found dead in my room," Roger said. "My guess is that someone may have found out that I was having an affair and put the body in my room to solve problems in my career. I don't know how, but I swear to you that I know nothing. Now, if you will please excuse me, I have things to do."

Tony walked up behind Gibbs and as the candidate walked out of the room said, "He is hiding something, Boss, but I don't think that he had anything to do with our navy officer."

Gibbs replied, "I think you're right. I'll tell you this, if I lived here in Maryland, I certainly wouldn't vote for the guy. He's too smug."


	5. Chapter 5

Whatever It Takes

Chapter Five

Gibbs and Tony made it back to the base just as many of the agents were leaving for the day. The ride back was much livelier than before. They talked more about the case and about the three week vacation that Gibbs went on after the whole Mexico fiasco. The vacation was actually a suspension without pay. Vance had to do something to punish Gibbs for going AWHOL on them once again.

Gibbs stayed in Stillwater with his father in order to make sure that he was all right after being kidnapped and nearly killed. Jackson was happy to have his son stay with him for awhile and though Gibbs may not admit it, he was happy to be there too.

As Tony and Gibbs walked into the office, they took the elevator down to Abby's lab to find out if she had discovered anything from the evidence. Both McGee and Ziva were down there as well.

As soon as they walked into the room, Abby ran over to Tony and wrapped her arms around him as she cried, "Oh, Tony! I heard that you were shot. Are you ok? I was so angry at McGee and Ziva for not telling me right away. You could have been killed."

Tony smiled as she hugged him and replied, "Abs, I am just fine. You know me, I'm tough. I'm like the terminator; practically indestructible and macho."

"The keyword there, DiNozzo, is practically," Gibbs said. "The terminator was destroyed every time, which means that you can be as well. What do you have, Abby?"

"There wasn't much to go on, Gibbs," she responded. "I mean, the sheets from the bed show no evidence of sex taking place. Chances are that housekeeping had already changed the sheets before the body was dumped. I've run the bullets that were fired at Tony and you guys through my babies and there was one match. We found fingerprints on a few of them. The guy's name is Gary Finch. Here is a picture of him. He has a record for spousal abuse, rape, and assault. He was also accused of killing a man, but no one could prove that he did it."

Tony chuckled and said, "My guess is that he did. The agents who took the case must have been pretty angry that they couldn't get him."

Gibbs responded, "I wouldn't blame them. Good work, Abs. Ziva and McGee, I want the two of you to go pick him up. I want to know why he killed the petty officer and why he was stupid enough to come back and shoot at us."

"What about me, Boss," Tony asked?

"I want you to go home and get some sleep tonight and do not come back to the office," Gibbs said. "If I find that you have, I will put you on permanent desk duty. Do I make myself clear?"

"As crystal, Boss," Tony answered.

Ziva leaned over to McGee and whispered, "What does that mean, McGee?"

Tim replied, "Gibbs asked Tony if he understood what he was saying when he asked if he made himself clear. Because crystal is clear, it means that Tony understood. It's hard to explain."

She nodded and said, "I understand. Another American idiom, I suppose."

A few minutes later, Tony walked out of the building and to his car. Ziva and McGee walked out behind Tony and went to go pick up Finch as Gibbs told them to. Gibbs kissed Abby on the cheek and took the elevator down to Ducky, hoping that he had some information about the cause of death of the Navy officer.

As he walked in, he found Ducky washing the instrument which he used during his autopsy. When Ducky heard Gibbs come in, he stopped what he was doing and explained that Palmer had gone home for the evening.

Gibbs asked, "Did you find out who our officer is, Duck?"

Ducky answered, "Indeed, Jethro. His name is Shane Winters. The poor lad was on shore leave for a few days. His wife had contacted the police saying that he was missing since yesterday afternoon and eventually, the report came to us. Ziva and McGee talked to her while you and Tony were gone."

"Did you figure out the true cause of death," Gibbs asked next?

"The boy did indeed drown," Ducky replied. "I found bruises and handprints on the back of his body and neck that showed signs of a struggle. My guess is that the young man was attacked from behind and had his head pushed down into a bit of water. If he was a guest in the motel, the killer may have used the sink or even the tub to drown him in. Perhaps our victim had just gotten out of the shower. It would explain why he was naked. Then, the killer put him on the politician's bed and left. This is my best theory."

Gibbs nodded and responded, "It is probably what happened. Good work, Duck!"

Ducky asked, "Did you ever find out what was troubling Anthony?"

Gibbs went on to explain his conversation he had with Tony this afternoon while driving to Maryland. Ducky listened intently and told Gibbs to just work on trying to make Tony feel like he was not blamed for everything that had happened to their team lately. He explained that Tony was just looking to feel like he belonged somewhere and that his job was not in jeopardy.

Gibbs thanked his friend and walked back up to the bullpen. He sat at his desk and waited impatiently for Ziva and McGee to come back in with their suspect. In the meantime, he made a few calls and looked over the paperwork, which came with this case.

Meanwhile…

Tony arrived at his apartment around quarter after seven o'clock. On his way home, he stopped by the restaurant, which made his favorite pizza and ordered one for take-out. As he walked inside his apartment, he moved over to the coffee table in the center of his living room and put the pizza down. Then, he took off his firearm, pulled out his badge, and placed them inside the top drawer of his dresser, which was next to his bed. He pulled out his cell phone and placed it on top. Finally, he walked over to the fridge, pulled out a beer, and walked back over to the couch near the coffee table.

Tony was about to sit down to put his feet up, until suddenly an arm reached around his head from behind him with a cloth in hand, which was shoved over his nose and mouth. He was overwhelmed with the thick smell of chloroform. However, Tony struggled against his attacker. He pushed the man backward into the walls and the furniture in the room, until they finally crashed into the coffee table. The man had to let go. He was out of breath and sore from the fight. Tony struggled to stand, as he was not only in pain as well, but also woozy from the chloroform, which was quickly overpowering his senses.

Tony picked up one of the broken legs of the table and knocked his attacker out by hitting him over the head with it. Then, he staggered over to where he had placed his cell phone and was about to call Gibbs, until he was also hit over the head by someone else, who had entered his apartment.

Once Tony was unconscious, the second attacker went to wake up his partner, in order to get help carrying Tony out to their car that was parked further down the road. They threw the agent into the trunk and drove off, leaving Tony's apartment completely trashed.


	6. Chapter 6

Whatever It Takes

Chapter Six

Back at NCIS…

Gibbs watched as Ziva and Tim brought their suspect, Gary Finch, past his desk and down to their interrogation rooms. He stood up and followed after them. As they stepped out of the room they had placed him in, Gibbs nodded at them and entered the room, staring at the man who looked angry to have been pulled from his home.

Gibbs sat down in front of him and began the interrogation by saying, "So, Gary, I am assuming that you know why you're here. Am I right?"

Gary replied, "I don't know what you are talking about. I have nothing to say to you."

"We found your fingerprints on the bullets that you shot at one of my agents and then at the rest of us as we came out of the motel," Gibbs responded. "We know that it was you because you were pretty sloppy. My question to you is why? Why did you return to the scene of the crime to shoot at my agents? Did you forget something in the motel room after you finished killing the petty officer?"

"Killing the petty officer," Finch replied with a very confused look on his face? "What are you talking about? I didn't kill anyone. Not yet anyway. I followed you guys to the crime scene this morning. I don't know anything about some soldier being killed at a motel room; I swear."

Gibbs looked at him for any sign of deceit and realized he was telling the truth. Gibbs has seen this look on a number of men and women who have been pulled into this room when they are asked why they killed someone.

Gibbs spoke again as he asked, "So, then why were you following us and why did you want to kill us? You don't seem to be a person capable of killing four NCIS agents and certainly not alone."

Finch answered, "I didn't follow you to kill all of you. I was only there to kill Tony DiNozzo. I only shot back at the rest of you so that I could run away while you were taking cover."

"Why were you there to kill Agent DiNozzo," Gibbs asked as he grew much angrier knowing someone was trying to kill one of his agents, again?

"Because if I was successful, I would have been rich," Finch responded. "I'm not the first person who's tried to kill him. There have been other attempts, but they have all failed. He isn't easy to kill."

As their shooter revealed that Tony's life was in danger, Ziva quickly pulled out her cell phone and dialed his number. However, his phone went straight to voicemail. She looked over at McGee, who also had pulled out his phone and was working on calling his partner too. Like Ziva, he had no luck reaching him. They turned back to the window, as they watched Gibbs stand over Finch and pull him close to his face by his shirt.

Gibbs replied, "Who put the contract out on Tony's life and why? Answer me right now!"

Finch answered, "I don't know who wants your agent dead, I swear to you. I didn't see the man's face and he certainly didn't give me a name. I only know that I wasn't the only one hired. A couple of others were too."

Gibbs shoved Finch against the wall and rushed out of the room. He met up with both Ziva and McGee in the hallway and the three of them ran to the elevator, hoping to get to Tony before his life is put in further jeopardy.

As they did so, Ziva said, "McGee and I both tried to call Tony. He is not answering. It is possible that he is sound asleep and unable to hear the phone ring."

"No, Tony hasn't been sleeping well lately," Gibbs replied. "He's been attacked before, which explains why he's been coming into the office. It was the only place he felt safe and I forced him to go home."

"Why didn't Tony tell us he was in trouble," McGee asked? "I mean, we're his friends and it's our job to look after each other."

As they got out of the elevator and entered the parking garage, Gibbs responded, "Because Tony has been blaming himself for the strain that has been put on the team since Jenny's death, especially with what happened to Ziva in Africa. Tony didn't want to risk something else bad happening to us because of him."

Ziva stopped dead as Gibbs said this and said, "I thought I made it clear that I was the one who was wrong for what happened between him and Michael. I do not blame him."

As Gibbs pulled her to the car and the three of them got in and sped off to Tony's, Gibbs answered, "You know how Tony is, Ziva. We all do. He doesn't forgive himself very well, no matter how hard people try to reassure him things are not his fault. A part of him blamed himself for Kate's death."

"Kate was killed by Ari, who had targeted her from the very beginning," Tim said. "Even if he could have seen Ari on the roof and taken that bullet for her, Ari would have killed her eventually. Tony has nothing to blame himself for."

As the three agents arrived at Tony's apartment, they saw that the lights were off and his car was parked in the driveway. Gibbs had a sinking feeling that they may already be too late and that was not something he was ready to face.

As they got out of the car, the three of them pulled out their guns and stepped up to the door. Gibbs kicked the door in and as he turned on the lights, they all saw that a major struggle had taken place. Tony's living room was trashed and practically every piece of furniture was broken. Gibbs called out for Tony as they searched his apartment. He was nowhere to be found.

Tony was missing, which meant that whoever it was that broke in, came here to kidnap Tony and not kill him. This gave them hope that they would be able to find him in time to save him.

"Why would someone want to kill Tony so badly, that they would hire multiple people to do it until the job is done properly," Ziva asked? "And after more than one shot at trying to kill him, why kidnap him now?"

"I don't know, but we are going to find him, whatever it takes," Gibbs answered. "Tony will give them hell, which will buy us the time we need. Whoever is responsible for putting a contract on Tony, will not live to see a prison cell if he dies."


	7. Chapter 7

Whatever It Takes

Chapter Seven

When Tony awoke, he found himself in a room that was similar to the one where the bartender Vanessa had put him when he dug into the disappearance of Marine Sergeant, Bill Atlas years ago. It was definitely in another sewer. The room was dark, wet, and it smelled awful.

Tony was hanging from the ceiling of the room, his arms tied directly above him to the pipe that ran through two of the walls. His bare feet hardly touched the ground. Tony didn't remember removing his shoes or his jacket when he entered his apartment, which meant that whoever took him, removed them. Maybe they wanted him to freeze to death. If he stayed in this room, that is exactly what will happen to him.

His head was aching from when his kidnapper hit him over the head. The coldness of the room was eventually going to affect his lungs and bring back the pain from when he had the plague. It terrified him to go through that again. He was lucky that diving in the river twice to save Gibbs and Maddie that day at the docks didn't affect his lungs. He's escaped death dozens of times. Eventually, his luck was going to run out.

Tony struggled to get loose from the cords that bound his hands, but it didn't do him any good. They were too tight and the pipe wasn't going to budge either. He was in serious trouble and his team wouldn't discover that he was even missing until tomorrow. Tony allowed his head to drop down on his chest as he once again lost consciousness.

Back at Tony's apartment….

The forensics team had been searching Tony's apartment for clues that would lead them to whomever it was that took Special Agent DiNozzo for about an hour now. So far, they found nothing that would help them out right away. They found blood on the floor, as well as on some of the broken furniture, but they would have to run blood tests to figure out if it belonged to Tony, or one of his abductors.

Gibbs, Ziva, and McGee did as they usually did, as if it were a normal crime scene. McGee concentrated on taking the pictures of the scene, while Ziva bagged and tagged the evidence. Gibbs searched through the apartment, hoping to find something that might explain why someone would want to kidnap Tony, but so far nothing was coming up and when Gibbs looked at the mess that was made, the angrier that he got.

A few minutes later, someone walked into Tony's apartment that Gibbs did not expect to see; Agent Fornell. Gibbs stopped searching and walked over to his friend from the FBI. McGee and Ziva followed after them as they all exited the apartment.

Gibbs looked at him and asked, "Tobias, what are you doing here?"

The agent replied, "We've been building a case against a man by the name of Rich Conway for a number of crimes from robbery to murder. We finally caught up to the man an hour ago as he checked himself into the hospital for a concussion, broken ribs, and a broken arm. When I asked him what happened to him, he claimed that some crazy guy attacked him. Eventually, I got the truth from him. He and a buddy of his attacked and kidnapped Agent DiNutzo. I came here right away. I am sorry that we couldn't find Conway earlier."

"I take it that the reason why you are here and not wherever these men took Tony is because they refuse to tell you anything else," Gibbs said.

Fornell said, "I'm afraid so. I'm sorry about your man, Jethro. I take it that you want to work together on this investigation then, am I right?"

Gibbs nodded and answered, "We can work together, but NCIS is now calling the shots, seeing as it is Tony who's in trouble. His life is first priority. I hope you got plenty of sleep in the last few days."

Tobias showed a small smile and replied, "Don't worry about me. I know what it takes to find a missing agent. I'll keep up. Now, did you want to talk to Conway? Maybe you can get something out of him that I couldn't."

"I do," said Gibbs. "Is he still at the hospital, or did you already escort him to your office?"

"He's still in the hospital," Tobias answered. "Your man busted him up pretty good."

"At least Tony didn't make it easy on the scumbags," McGee responded. "Good for him."

Gibbs grinned as the four of them left Tony's apartment and headed to the hospital. When they entered the room where Rich Conway was handcuffed to the hospital bed, Gibbs and Fornell were the ones who stepped up to the bed first. Ziva and McGee went around to the left side of the bed and waited for Gibbs to begin the interrogation.

Conway just starred at each of the agents until he focused on Gibbs, who began to talk saying, "We know that you are partly responsible for kidnapping Tony DiNozzo. I want to know who it was that hired you and where you and your buddy took him."

Conway turned away from the agents stares as he replied, "I am not going to tell you anything. I want a lawyer. You can't treat me this way!"

"The man you kidnapped is a special agent," Gibbs responded. "I can treat you whatever way I want to. Tell me where he is, now!"

"I don't know where he is," Conway answered. "Frank dropped me off here and drove off on his own, taking your man with him. He never told me where we were planning on taking him. He didn't trust me too much, so he kept the hideout a secret."

Ziva asked, "Who hired the two of you to kidnap Tony?"

Rich replied, "I don't know who it was. Neither did Frank, but we weren't actually hired to kidnap your man. We were hired to kill him for ten thousand dollars, as were a bunch of other people. However, Frank got greedy and came up with a plan to get more money from the mystery man. Frank figured that since the guy wants Agent DiNozzo dead badly enough to hire whoever can get the job done, that we would blackmail him into paying us even more money to finish the job."

"How did you plan on contacting the man who hired you," Fornell asked? "Did he leave you a contact number to reach him at?"

"When you find Frank, you'll have to ask him," Conway responded. "I was only hired by Frank after he was contacted by our employer; I swear."

Gibbs reached down and tightened the cuffs around Conway's wrists and then turned to walk out of the room. Fornell, Ziva, and McGee followed after him as they all left the hospital and headed back to the base. Thankfully the ones who were successful in carrying through with the contract, decided to keep Tony alive long enough to get more money to finish the job. Gibbs wasn't sure if he should be comforted by that or not. He had no idea what kind of man this Frank is.


	8. Chapter 8

Whatever It Takes

Chapter Eight

Tony became conscious once again as someone entered the room. The man walked over and held up a cup of water to Tony's mouth. Tony sipped the water and then lowered his head back down to his chest. He began to cough pretty harshly, but he soon stopped. As the man pulled the cup away, he noticed heat radiating from Tony's skin and sweat beginning to form on his forehead, despite the cold air in the room.

Tony was the first to speak as he said, "So, what can I call you?"

The man replied, "You can call me Frank."

"Well, Frank, thanks for the room service, but I'm afraid that your accommodations are not quite what I was looking for," Tony said. "I've been in a room just like this once and I'm not impressed. Is there any food to go with the water? I'm starving. Also, I could go without hanging like a rack of meat in a butcher's shop. Any chance you can cut me loose?"

Frank replied, "You think that you're pretty funny, don't you? I'm afraid that you're out of luck. Get comfortable. You'll be here for a while longer, at least until I find out if I am getting paid the money I've asked for. Then, eventually you'll die."

"Isn't that what your boss hired you to do in the first place," Tony asked as he coughed again? "Kill me, I mean. Everyone else tried to kill me. So far, you are the only one who wanted to kidnap me. The question is, why? What exactly is your plan?"

"If he doesn't pay me what I am asking for, then I'll take everything I know to the police," he answered. "I dig a little more digging. I wasn't about to kill a federal agent without finding out who it was I am working for. Then, I plan on leaving you down here to die, where no one will find your body. He'll get what he wanted, but he'll have to enjoy it from prison. That is until the day of his execution."

Tony responded, "Ah, blackmail, I see. If you think you'll get more money, you're a fool. Your greed is only going to get you killed. Who wants me dead so badly, that he would risk getting caught and sent to death row?"

"I'm sure that if you thought about who hated you, you'd figure that out," his kidnapper responded.

"Please, I've ticked off more people than I can count," Tony replied as he began to cough again and again. "I'm sure there are a thousand of men who want me dead. Who did I insult this time?"

Instead of answering Tony's question, Frank asked, "Why are you coughing so much? And why are you burning up. You've been here for two days now, but you shouldn't be ill yet."

Tony looked at the man in the eyes and answered, "Have you ever heard of Y. pestis? It's bubonic plague and it's extremely painful. I caught it years ago when a crazy woman sent us a letter filled with it because she wanted NCIS to pay for a crime we didn't commit. I somehow managed to survive, but my lungs took one hell of a beating. They've never been the same since. The cold air and dampness in this room is bringing it back. If you don't want me to die, I suggest you let me go, or at the very least, move me to another prison where the accommodations are not quite so poor."

"I'm afraid that that isn't possible," Frank responded. "I need to keep you in a safe place where no one would think to look for you. I'm just going to have to speed up my plans. My boss will want proof of life before he pays me the money, but once I have it, I will kill you quickly to put you out of your misery. If I don't get the money, I'll leave you to suffer until you die."

After Frank finished talking, he exited the room and Tony was once again left alone. His coughing fits continued. Tony wanted nothing more than to pass out, but he didn't get any relief when he had the plague before and he knew it wasn't going to happen this time.

As Frank headed toward the entrance of the sewer, another man suddenly appeared in front of him, blocking his path. Before he could ask who this stranger was, the man pulled out a gun from under his jacket and shot Frank in the head.

The new guy put the gun back into his jacket and stepped over the body to enter the room where Tony still hung. Tony didn't even bother lifting his head because he expected it to be the man who kidnapped him, thinking that maybe he forgot to mention something. However, as soon as the man spoke, Tony recognized the voice was not coming from Frank, but from a man whom he considered to be an enemy since the day they met, even though he was supposedly a good guy.

"I must say that I never thought I would have this pleasure, DiNozzo, but I am glad to see you like this," he said.

Tony looked up at the man who stood in front of him with shock and asked, "Kort, what on earth are you doing here?"

Kort replied, "As much as I would like to take the credit for bringing you here, I'm afraid that I had had nothing to do with it. I was asked to find the man who was responsible for this and keep him from revealing the truth about his employer to anyone."

"So, Frank's dead then," Tony asked? "Good, now you can let me go so that I can get out of here. I've been missing for more than two days, or so Frank said, and I am sure that my team is searching for me. I could use a nice hot shower."

"I'm afraid that I did not come here to let you go," Kort responded. "The employer still wants you dead and let's just say that the CIA owes him a favor. Before too long, you'll be dead and no one will ever know of mine or the employer's involvement. Gibbs will never learn who killed his precious protégé. Goodbye, Agent DiNozzo!"

With that, Trent Kort walked out of the room and left Tony alone. The CIA agent smiled and left the sewer to go inform Prince Omar Ibn Alwaan that both jobs were done. Tony had been a thorn in his side since the incident with La Grenouille and was very happy that finally DiNozzo was going to die without there being a chance of him getting caught.


	9. Chapter 9

Whatever It Takes

Chapter Nine

Gibbs, Fornell, and McGee were all starring at the facts on the screen inside the bullpen, as McGee used his computer to bring up Rich Conway's background information. Gibbs had ordered both McGee to check him out and find anything that would lead them to who this Frank was; Conway's partner. They searched through his phone and bank records, his DMV information, as well as his school information. McGee also found that Conway had a criminal record, which wasn't surprising since the FBI wanted him for several recent crimes.

Director Vance walked down the stairs from his office and joined his agents and Agent Fornell in the search as he said, "Jethro, after we got word that DiNozzo was taken, I assigned Petty Officer, Tom Willey's death to another team so that you three can focus on finding your man. I am now free to help you in any way that I can."

As Gibbs was about to respond, Ziva suddenly ran into the bullpen and said, "I think that I just found Frank. If it is the same man, his name is Frank Jefferson. When he was eighteen, he tried to enlist in the Marines, but was denied because he had too much of a temper. Years later, he was arrested for allegedly shooting two employers he had within one month. However, he was never convicted because the prosecutor and police could not find enough evidence to link the deaths to him. Frank learned how to become a sniper from a gun club here in DC."

"What makes you think that this is the same Frank who kidnapped Tony," McGee asked?

"Because, when I found out that he went to this gun club, I called to see if there was anyone whom he meets up with regularly and he does, Rich Conway," Ziva replied.

Fornell nodded and responded, "So, these two friends went shooting together. Now that we've connected the two together, we ought to figure out where Frank lives and go there to begin the search. Maybe, we'll get lucky and he'll have been stupid enough to stash DiNutzo there."

Gibbs looked over at Fornell and asked, "Are you ever going to say his name right, or do you say it just to annoy him?"

Fornell smiled and answered, "He does the same thing to McGee all the time, doesn't he? I've been around long enough to hear the number of names he makes up for him; Ziva too. In fact, I think the only person he doesn't make up a name for is you, Jethro."

"That's because he knows that I will smack him in the head every time he does," Gibbs said with a smile. "McGee, did you get that address yet?"

"I got it, Boss," Tim replied. "I've programmed it into my phone."

"Good work, Tim," Gibbs said. "You too Ziva. Let's go!"

As the elevator opened, Abby and Ducky stepped out as she cried, "Gibbs, please tell me that you found Tony! I am so worried about him. We already know that he has lost some blood, but we don't know how much. He was taken two days ago. Who knows what shape he is in right now? You have to find him, Gibbs. Please tell me you are going to find him!"

Abby wrapped her arms around Gibbs, who hugged her back and responded, "We will find him Abs. I do not plan on losing him now. He's stubborn and you know it. He'll make it."

"Jethro is right, My Dear," Ducky replied. "Anthony has overcome the bubonic plague. You must have faith that he can overcome whatever has happened to him, now."

Gibbs, Fornell, Ziva, and McGee all got onto the elevator and then drove off a few minutes later to find Frank Jefferson's house. They hoped that something there would lead them to find out where the man had taken Tony.

Meanwhile…

A man in his late seventies stepped out of his home and bent down to pick up the newspaper that lay on his porch. His home was a quite large, and it cost the man a lot more than what he truthfully could afford. However, he always managed to pay the taxes and whatever money he owed for it in the time that was given to him. Several people he knew through his businesses, as well as his own wife, told him he should sell his house and move into something more reasonable, but he loved to look like he was an important man.

He walked back inside and began to read. A few minutes later, his wife came into his study carrying a tray of food for his breakfast. After she set it down on his desk, she kissed the top of his forehead and walked out. The man watched her as she left and smiled. She was beautiful, rich, and quite a bit younger than he was. She was also either the fourth of fifth woman he has been married to. He married the women for the wrong reasons and eventually, they would figure it out and leave, except for his first wife, who died when his only son was eleven.

After reading the paper a bit more, the phone began to ring and when he answered it, he heard a voice on the other end that he hoped he would never hear again. The man put the paper down and listened as the person on the other line gave him news that he was expecting would someday come from another man.

The voice in the phone said, "Good morning, Anthony DiNozzo. I can tell from your silence that you know who I am."

DiNozzo Sr. replied, "Yes, Sayif. I know who you are. What can I do for you?"

"I am afraid that it is much too late for you to make up for what you have done to my father," the oldest son of Prince Omar answered. "You conned him into giving you money to invest in your business, which we discovered does not exist. You stole from him, after everything that he has done for you. We showed you our hospitality when we welcomed you into our home. Then, you have the nerve to con him. You have shamed our family. Do you honestly think that you would get away with this without consequence? If so, you are a fool."

"Prince Sayif, I assure you that I did not mean to insult you and your family," Anthony responded. "I hold your family in the highest regard. My business fell through and I was trying to find a way to repay the money which your father so graciously gave me, but I am afraid that I have fallen on hard times. I will need a little more time to repay you."

Sayif said, "The money is not important to us, but you must pay for the shame and pain you brought upon my family and I have finally gotten word that a job I had asked for is now complete. Your son is now dead, thanks to you. Check your emails if you want proof that what I say is true. I am warning you, if you tell the agency that your son works for anything about what I have done, I will have my man come and kill you as well. Believe me, I do make good on my threats and I will know if you tell. From what I understand, you care more about yourself and your image than you do anything else, including your son. You are a coward. Goodbye, Mr. DiNozzo."

Anthony DiNozzo Sr. slammed the phone down and put his head in his hands. A few minutes later, he started to dial Agent Gibb's number, but stopped and put the phone down once again. He did not want to die, especially in any of the brutal ways that he could only imagine in his mind. He then turned on his computer and checked his emails as he was told to do.

He found a message that was labeled, Tony DiNozzo Jr. and clicked on the link to get to the message. However, it wasn't a message, but a photo that came up instead. It was a picture of his son, whose arms were tied above him to what looked like pipes in a dark, wet room. Tony's head was down on his chest and he was filthy. There was also blood on his clothes and on his neck, which looked like it was coming from his head and face. He looked dead.

Even if he did call Gibbs and tell him the truth about his son being killed, the tough NCIS agent would have him arrested and thrown in prison for the rest of his life and that scared DiNozzo Sr. more than being killed. The day that Gibbs invited him into his office and questioned him of his relationship with Tony, he saw anger and a fierceness in the man's eyes, that he knew he would be lucky if the ex-marine didn't kill him himself. Anthony knew how much Agent Gibbs cared for his son. Prince Sayif was right about him. He was a coward.


	10. Chapter 10

Whatever It Takes

Chapter Ten

Gibbs and his team, as well as Fornell, arrived at Frank Jefferson's home and found that the man was not home. They began to search through the house for any clues, but it was difficult because the man was a slob. Papers, trash, and clutter was everywhere. Dirty dishes filled the sink and the place looked like it hadn't been cleaned for months.

This led the agents to believe that Frank rarely came home, except maybe to eat and sleep every once in a while. Chances were, they would not find anything that would help them out in finding Tony. Gibbs banged his fist down on the kitchen table in frustration.

A few minutes later, McGee asked for Gibbs and Fornell into another room where Frank had kept a laptop. When they did, McGee hacked into the system and tried to pull up an email that was labeled, "New Contract."

Gibbs asked, "Why isn't it opening, McGee?"

McGee replied, "Because it's encrypted, Boss. I can get into it, but it will take me a few minutes; hold on."

The encryption was more sophisticated than what McGee would have expected to find in this guy's home. From everything the team had learned about Frank, he didn't seem to be someone who was as smart as this. The information that Ziva had found at the gun club showed that he was a great shot, but he was more of a thug than anything else.

Finally, McGee finished the code and the email came up on the screen. It was a message from whoever put the hit out on Tony, saying that they would give $10,000 to whoever was able to kill him. An email address, as well as a contact number, was given for them to be able to respond and give proof that the job was finished, but nothing else. There was also an attachment and when McGee opened it up, a picture of Tony popped up.

"Can you trace this email and the number to whoever it was that sent it, McGee," Gibbs asked?

"I'm trying, but whoever it is, is brilliant," Tim answered. "He's the one who encrypted the email and made the email account for someone who is non-existent. He's also managed to route the cell number through several cell towers. There is no way for me to track either one. I'm sorry, Boss."

Fornell asked, "Is there anything that you can tell us that could be helpful? Is there anything that shows us where Tony is?"

Ziva walked in the room and said, "I may not know where Frank took Tony, but I found something that you need to see. I found a hidden opening in the floor that leads to a cellar. I think that I know who is involved. We just need to figure out who the men are."

Gibbs responded, "Show me."

As Ziva led them down to the cellar, there were two bulletin boards full of pictures. Many of them were of Tony. Everyone saw that Frank had been tailing Tony for some time. Fornell walked over to a small TV with a video camera attached and turned them both on.

The video tape was filmed at some bar downtown. Gibbs and the others focused on the patrons in the bar and watched as Tony walked in. After Tony finished ordering a drink and took a sip, a man appeared on the screen and pulled out something small from his jacket as he walked up behind Tony. It was hard to tell what the object was, but when he suddenly attacked their friend, the team could see that it was a knife.

The video showed Tony struggle with the guy, but within a few minutes, it showed Tony gain the upper hand as he grabbed the knife and slashed it across the man's face. The man screamed and pushed Tony into one of the tables. As Tony struggled to get up, the man bent down and picked up the knife, which Tony had dropped in the fight, and then ran from the bar.

As the video stopped, McGee looked over at Gibbs and saw the anger that was formed on the marine's face and that his fists were clenched. Fornell just looked down and then followed McGee's stare over at his friend.

Ziva just stared ahead until she asked, "Why was there no police report of this fight? There were several witnesses there. Did no one call the police?"

Fornell replied, "I'll do some digging to see if there were any reports, but even if there were, from the video it doesn't look like Tony gave any indication that he was a federal agent. The report never would have come to you."

"I still cannot believe that Tony never told us he was attacked," McGee said.

Gibbs finally spoke up saying, "Both Conway and Finch confirmed that Tony was attacked more than once. Are there any other tapes? It's possible that Jefferson was watching and filming Tony for the other attacks too."

McGee responded, "I don't see any more tapes, but there are more pictures that are not of Tony. I don't recognize any of the men though."

"I recognize one person," Ziva said as she moved one of the pictures that was blocking another one behind it. "It's Tony's father."

"I'm going to go talk to him," Gibbs replied in a very dangerous tone as he turned to walk out of the room. "Ziva, I need you and McGee to bring this evidence back to the base and do what you can to find out who each of these men are. Let me know as soon as you have anything. Have Abby help you."

"I'm going with you, Gibbs," the FBI agent said as they left the house. "You're not exactly in the mood to have a decent talk and I have not yet had the pleasure to meet DiNozzo's father."

Gibbs glared at his friend and answered, "Tony's father is a smug, Bastard and a con man. He and Tony are not close and never were, but I never would have expected the man to be involved in something that would harm his own son."

Fornell responded, "It's possible that he is not involved at all, Jethro. Maybe Frank was just doing a background check on Tony."

"For his sake, I hope you're right, Tobias," Gibbs said. "If he is, I'll kill him."


	11. Chapter 11

Whatever It Takes

Chapter Eleven

Gibbs tried to call Anthony DiNozzo Sr. as he and Agent Fornell drove to his home in Staten Island. However, the number that he was given for him was no longer in service. Gibbs then called McGee to see if the youngest agent could find another number registered under the man's name. McGee had no such luck.

After driving several hours, the two agents finally arrived at DiNozzo Sr.'s home. As Tony had mentioned days ago while questioning the politician, the man's home was the size of a mansion and when they knocked on the door, a butler answered.

Gibbs and Fornell both pulled out their badges as Gibbs said, "I'm Special Agent Gibbs with NCIS, and this is Agent Fornell with the FBI. We're here to see your boss. Where is he?"

The man in front of them replied, "Mr. DiNozzo does not want to be disturbed for any reason. I suggest you come back at another time and be sure to call first."

"Agent Gibbs did try to call first," Fornell responded. "The only number that was registered to him was disconnected. I suggest that you let us see him. We're here in regards to his son."

"I will go see if he is willing to make an exception," the butler answered. "If you would wait here in the hallway, I will be right back."

Fornell said after the man left the entryway, "I have to say, that was exactly the kind of greeting I expected us to get. I just expected it from Tony's father instead. How loaded is he?"

Gibbs answered, "He isn't loaded; not anymore. He hasn't been for a while. Tony said that his father had become broke because of bad investments, but he somehow manages to con people out of their money, which is what allows him to live like this. Image is more important to him than anything, even Tony."

"That isn't true Agent Gibbs," Anthony DiNozzo Sr. replied as he walked over to them. "My son is still the most important thing to me, despite what you think. Now, why did you come all the way here from D.C. to talk about Jr. Is he all right?"

"No, Tony isn't all right," Gibbs responded as he observed the man's face. "He was kidnapped three days ago. We've been doing everything to find him, but we haven't been able to find our lead suspect, yet. What we know, is that someone put a contract on his head. There have been at least three attempts on his life so far, but for some reason, he was kidnapped instead. Do you have any idea why someone would want to harm your son?"

DiNozzo Sr. gulped as he asked, "Why would I know why someone would want to harm him? I would never hurt him."

Gibbs glared at him and replied, "Then, why did you leave him behind and alone for two days at a hotel when he was just a boy? Tony told me you did it to go after a woman. What else would you call that? I can tell that you are lying about something, Mr. DiNozzo. You already know Tony's in trouble, don't you?"

Sr. put his head down in shame and answered, "I assure you, Agent Gibbs that I had no idea that they would harm my son for what I did. It was only money."

"What are you talking about," Fornell asked? "You know who kidnapped Tony and you didn't call us?"

"Follow me," Anthony responded. "I couldn't tell you. They would have killed me if I told anyone what I know. I was afraid for my life. You have no idea what they are capable of."

"You are a coward," Gibbs said as he and Fornell followed Sr. into his study. "Your son has been in danger for who knows how long and missing for days. You knew that and you cared more about yourself. Who has him?"

Sr. replied, "I do not know who has him right now or where he is, but the man who put out the contract on him is Prince Sayif Ibn Alwaan, the oldest son of Prince Omar."

Fornell asked, "Why would Prince Omar want Tony dead?"

"Prince Omar is a good man," Gibbs responded. "He wouldn't ever allow his son to do this if he knew. Prince Sayif must be orchestrating all of this without his father's knowledge. What did you do to make Sayif so angry?"

"Prince Omar invested money into a new business venture of mine," Sr. answered as he booted up his computer on his desk. "However, the business never took off and I have yet to pay them back the money. Sayif believes that I stole from his family and shamed them. I tried to convince him that I have every intention of paying his father back, but that I needed a little more time. He didn't believe me. So, he decided to make me pay by harming my son and threatened to kill me if I told anyone. He sent me a picture of Tony as proof. Sayif told me he had his man kill him. The monster murdered my son, Agent Gibbs. It's too late."

When Anthony DiNozzo Sr. pulled up the picture of Tony, Gibbs looked closely, hoping to see that he was alive, not dead as his father had claimed. Tony certainly looked like he could be dead, but he was a fighter. Gibbs' gut told him that he was still alive, despite the terrible condition he was in.

Gibbs looked over at Fornell and then at Sr. very angrily as he said, "Tony is still alive, I'm sure of it. I've known him for a long time and as I told you that day at NICS, he is the best young agent I have ever known. He is a survivor against all odds. He'll beat this too. We're bringing you back to NCIS with us. You'll be facing some charges."

Sr. looked at Gibbs and asked, "Charges for what? I didn't have anything to do with my son being kidnapped! I had no idea that Prince Sayif would do this."

"Maybe not, but you failed to tell us, which is obstruction of justice," Gibbs replied. "You also stole money from for a business that was never started, with no intention of ever giving it back," Agent Fornell continued. "I'm sure that we can come up with several federal charges because of that. You're in a lot of trouble, Mr. DiNozzo."

Anthony responded, "Please, Agent Gibbs. I am begging you to let me go. I can't spend the rest of my life in prison. Despite our differences, Tony would never want this. He knows that I love him."

Gibbs glared at him again and answered, "You don't deserve a son like him. Tony may not want it, but you are a criminal and despite how he feels, he understands the consequences of this job. Your son deserves justice."

"Think about it this way," Fornell said. "At least in prison, we can make sure you'll be protected from Prince Sayif and his men."

Tobias Fornell pulled out his handcuffs and cuffed DiNozzo Sr.'s hands behind his back. Together the three of them walked out of the mansion sized house and put the man in the back seat of their car. Once that was done, Gibbs and Fornell went back inside and grabbed the computer for McGee, hoping that he might be able to figure out where the picture showed Tony to be.

Gibbs said, "Tobias, not only do we need to find Sayif and figure out how we can make him pay for what he has done, but we also need to figure out everyone else that is involved. I want to know who took that picture and claimed that Tony was dead. I don't care what it takes, even if it means losing my job. Tony knows better than anyone, how far I'll go to protect the people that I care about. I know that my team will do anything for him too. Are you with me?"

Fornell answered, "I'm with you Jethro."


	12. Chapter 12

Whatever It Takes

Chapter Twelve

Once Gibbs and Fornell had arrived back at NCIS, with Anthony DiNozzo Sr. in between them, Gibbs handed him off to another agent and asked him to guide the man to one of their holding rooms. McGee and Ziva just stared as Tony's father was hauled off in handcuffs. They knew the kind of guy he was when they met the first time, but they never expected to see him get arrested.

Gibbs was the first to speak as he said, "McGee, I need you to do whatever you can to find out where DiNozzo is being held from the photo of him on this computer. An email was sent to Sr. two days ago. Then, track down where it came from. Ziva, I need you to find out where Prince Sayif Ibn Alwaan is staying. We need to do whatever we can to make sure that he pays for what he's done."

McGee and Ziva looked at each other and then back at Gibbs as Ziva asked, "Gibbs, what is going on? Tony's father is involved with kidnapping his own son?"

"He wasn't responsible for the kidnapping, but he found out about it and didn't call us," Gibbs replied. "He also stole money from Prince Omar, Sayif's father when he claimed that it would be invested in a new business venture. The business never took off and the money was never returned. Sr. conned Prince Omar and that is why Sayif had someone kidnap Tony; revenge."

"Prince Omar would never allow his son to do this," Ziva responded. "I know him."

Fornell spoke saying, "Gibbs believes that Sayif is acting alone and that Prince Omar knows nothing about this. Which, is why we need to find out where he and his family is staying so that we can tell him and find out the whole story behind Tony's kidnapping and the contract on him."

McGee said, "Uh, Boss? It looks like Tony is in some kind of sewer, kind of like the one he was taken to years ago when he was investigating the disappearance of Sargent Atlas."

"When was that," Ziva asked?

"It was before you joined us," McGee answered. "It was actually right before I became an official member of Gibbs' team. You see…"

"Hey," Gibbs shouted! "Explain the story later. Tony's depending on us to find him, now. I need you to focus. What else do you have? Can you figure out where he is?"

McGee cleared his throat and responded, "Sorry, Boss. Anyway, the pipes look fairly new and in good shape, which is unusual because most sewers are built and then are ignored. It looks like maintenance has been done on them recently."

Ducky interrupted as he and Abby walked into the bullpen saying, "The only reason that a sewer would be worked on would be if the original one collapsed. If you can find out if there has been any recent construction on a sewer somewhere, you may be able to find our boy."

"Ducky, you're a genius," McGee said as ran his fingers across his keyboard.

"Oh my goodness, Tony," Abby gasped as soon as she looked at the screen and saw the picture of Tony! "Gibbs, he can't be dead! He looks dead. Please tell me he isn't dead."

Gibbs pulled her into a hug and answered, "This picture doesn't prove anything, Abs. Tony's alive. I know it and we're going to find him. McGee, did you find something?"

McGee replied, "It's going to take another minute, there! A sewer collapsed a year and a half ago in Maryland, right outside Baltimore. The construction workers just finished rebuilding it three months ago. This has to be where Tony is, Boss."

"Good work, McGee," Gibbs shouted as he and Fornell headed toward the elevator.

"Bring him home, Gibbs," Abby shouted as Ziva and McGee quickly walked past her and Ducky in order to catch up to their boss and friend from the FBI!

Ducky wrapped his arms around the young woman and said, "Anthony will be fine, My Dear. If I know Jethro, he will stop at nothing to ensure that the young man whom he sees as a son will be all right. We should go down to talk to Jimmy. I am afraid that that poor boy has been worried sick. He and Tony have become good friends, even if they will not admit it."

Once inside Maryland, Gibbs called the Baltimore Police Department and asked them to have as many cops as they could spare, as well as a few dogs, gather outside the sewer entrance and wait for them to arrive before going in. He didn't explain much, except that an agent was kidnapped and left somewhere in the sewer to die.

Once they finally pulled up, the agents observed the small group, consisting of two officers and one dog that had come to join them in their search for Tony. Gibbs was angry that not more had shown up to help out.

One of the officers walked over to Gibbs as he got out of his car and asked, "Sir, are you sure that you really want to go into the sewers right now? I mean, I am willing to do it if that's what it takes to save the life of another cop, but it is going to be very difficult to find our way around in the dark, even with flashlights."

Fornell patted the young man on his shoulder and replied, "That's good work, son. Thanks for coming. The agent who is trapped in here has been missing for several days and we've learned that he is in really bad shape. We can't wait."

"Yes, Sir," the officer responded.

"Where is everyone else," Gibbs asked? "I asked for more help than just two cops and a dog. Does your department not even care when a fellow officer is in trouble?"

The young man answered, "Our boss said that it was too late to gather a search party and that if the agent in there is still alive tonight, he would most likely still be alive in the morning. My partner and I volunteered to come because if was one of us, we'd all be here in a second. Our boss is real Bastard and everyone else there a just a bunch of hypocrites."

Gibbs pounded his fist on his car and said, "Tony was one of you for crying out loud! He said you were more respectable than this."

The other Baltimore PD cop stepped forward and asked, "You mean, Tony DiNozzo is the man down in there somewhere?"

Ziva answered, "You know, Tony?"

"Yes, Ma'am," he replied. "Tony was my partner very briefly until I was shot during a robbery, but we have been friends ever since. I'm right behind you."

"I brought us plenty of batteries for our flashlights, so we won't have to worry about that," his partner said. "Just let us know what you need."

"Let's get going then," Gibbs ordered as everyone entered into the dark sewer entrance and began their search for their missing colleague. "Search every room that you come across. Tony will be in one of them."

The sewer did look similar to the other one that Gibbs circled around in for hours searching for Tony once before. Although it was bigger and there were more tunnels for them to go down. Gibbs ordered each of them to split off into twos. Ziva went with Tony's past partner, Tim went with the younger officer of the group and the dog, and Gibbs split off with Fornell. Gibbs wasn't normally a praying man, but this time he prayed that they would find Tony in time.


	13. Chapter 13

Whatever It Takes

Chapter Thirteen

Ziva and Tony's old partner, as well as McGee and the youngest officer, searched several rooms throughout the sewer, but have been unsuccessful in finding their colleague and friend. The further into the sewer they walked and the longer they searched, the more worried they became. They feared that they were not going to find Tony in time. Gibbs and Fornell felt the same as they continued on in their search, but they managed to push it aside to keep going.

The tunnels were not just dark and cold, but there was water leaking in through the pipes, as well as sewage water inches deep on the grounds of the tunnels, forcing the agents and police officers to trudge through the filth. If that wasn't bad enough, there were also rats scurrying along the pipes in hopes of finding somewhere dry.

McGee remembered Tony's fear of rats back when they were trapped in the ship, known as the Chimera a few years ago. McGee thought that his fear then was irrational and ridiculous, but seeing these rats now made him realize that it was wrong of him to think less of Tony because of it, especially since Tony barely survived the plague. He had said that rats were carriers of terrible diseases. McGee hoped that the rats had not found Tony wherever he was, but he had his doubt.

After going on for hours, Gibbs and Fornell finally had come to the final door in the current tunnel they had been searching through. As they approached, Fornell tapped Gibbs on his shoulder and pointed down to the water. As Gibbs looked down, he saw the body of the man whom he assumed to be Frank lying in the sewage near the door. There was a gunshot wound in his forehead. Gibbs looked back up at Fornell who nodded at him as they both moved to the door and pulled back the latch which kept it closed.

As they stepped into the room slowly, they both raised their flashlights and shined them around. As they did so, the lights came upon Tony's still figure hanging by his wrists from the pipes above him. His wrists were tied together with thick cords, his jacket and shoes were gone, his feet dangled just above the ground, and there were rats climbing across his body.

The agents both ran over to him, Gibbs getting over to his side first. As he did so, Gibbs pulled out his knife and began to cut through the cords. Fornell held onto him to keep him steady, as he pushed off the rats that were gnawing and digging into various areas of his exposed skin.

After several minutes of cutting through the cords, Gibbs was finally successful as the final cord fell away and Tony collapsed into his and Fornell's arms. Gibbs caught Tony's head and lay him across his lap in order to keep as much of his body from being in the cold, filthy water. Fornell pulled out his cell phone and first dialed 911 for the paramedics to be outside waiting for them when they come out, then he dialed McGee and Ziva's phones in order to tell them where they were and that they found Tony. Gibbs and Fornell were going to need help getting Tony out without injuring him any more than he already was.

Gibbs knew Tony was alive because he was burning up, despite his skin being freezing to the touch. He was shaking and coughing badly. He looked and sounded as he did the time he had the plaque. Tony's lungs were very weak already and Gibbs knew that Tony was going to die if they didn't get him out of the sewer very quickly.

As Gibbs looked over his agent's body for any wounds and damage done, he became angrier and angrier. He wanted to put a bullet between the young man's father's eyes. He knew that DiNozzo Sr. never intentionally meant for this to happen to his son, but the man conned the wrong people and Tony paid the price for his reckless actions.

Fornell was the first to speak saying, "He won't last much longer, Jethro."

Gibbs responded, "I know that, Tobias, and I also know that Ziva and Tim knows his life is at stake. They'll be here soon."

Just as he finished saying so, the other agents and officers, as well as the dog, came running into the room with their guns raised. McGee just starred, but Ziva came running over to her partner and knelt down by his side. She lifted his hand into hers and began to cry.

"We need to get him out of here, Gibbs," Ziva said.

Gibbs nodded and lowered his head close to Tony's so he could say, "Tony, can you hear me? We are here for you. You're going to be all right! Do not give up on me, now. You're strong! We are going to get you out of here. Do you understand me?"

Tony's eyes opened slightly, but closed quickly afterwards. He tried to talk, but he didn't have the strength. All he could do was squeeze Ziva's hand. Tobias stood up and stood by McGee, waiting for Gibbs and Ziva to lift Tony up. The officers just stood behind McGee and waited for instructions from the agents.

Together, Gibbs and Ziva helped to lift Tony from the ground, as Fornell went behind them to help keep him up until they were able to wraps his arms around their necks. The officers, dog, and McGee led the way through the door, as Fornell, Gibbs, Tony, and Ziva followed behind them.

It took a while as they all walked slowly through the sewer tunnels, while dragging Tony in between them, but they finally made it out to find the paramedics waiting for them as they had asked for. Gibbs couldn't help but be grateful that they didn't mind coming out in the middle of the night to aid someone in need.

Gibbs thought about the Baltimore police officers' boss lying in bed sound asleep or sitting in his soft cushy chair behind a fancy desk, which ticked him off. He planned on doing something to make the smug scumbag pay for denying help when they asked for it. If they had the extra officers, they would have found Tony much sooner.

As the paramedics ran over to work on Tony, Gibbs walked over to the two officers who disregarded their boss' orders and came to help them and said, "I owe you gentlemen a lot. If you are ever looking for job and a boss who cares about the job you do, come find us at NCIS. We wouldn't have found Tony without you so, thank you."

Gibbs got into the ambulance with Tony and the paramedics once they finished doing everything they could for him here. Ziva and McGee followed behind the ambulance in their car, while Fornell drove the car he and Gibbs came in. They headed to the closest hospital in Baltimore, where Tony would then be airlifted to Bethesda Medical Center in Washington D.C. Dr. Brad Pitt was going to be there waiting for Tony to arrive because he knew of Tony's medical history.

Ducky and Abby were there at the hospital waiting for the medevac as it arrived. Gibbs followed close by as the paramedics as they wheeled him into the emergency room. Gibbs was stopped by a doctor and Ducky reached up to place a comforting hand on his shoulder. Abby walked over and put her arms around Gibbs, who did the same to her. Now all they could do was sit and wait.


	14. Chapter 14

Whatever It Takes

Chapter Fourteen

Abby, Jimmy, and Ducky sat in the waiting room, while Gibbs kept pacing back and forth. He was too worried and angry to sit still while waiting to hear from Dr. Pitt about Tony's condition. Gibbs saw Tony when he was ill with the plague, but this time seemed worse. This time, there were multiple criminals, some of whom were yet to be accounted for, and Tony's father was the reason for this mess getting started in the first place. Then, to make things worse, Prince Sayif was going to be very difficult to take down, unless his father, Prince Omar, was going to allow them to prosecute his son. Otherwise, he would have diplomatic immunity, two words that ticked Gibbs off.

Ziva and McGee had made it there in record time, thanks to her driving, and Fornell followed close behind. They walked in to find the others waiting to hear about their colleague. On the drive, both McGee and Ziva remained silent, except for a few comments here or there.

Ziva wasn't around for when Tony was ill the first time and even though she had seen him get beaten, wounded, and shot, she didn't ever recall him looking so vulnerable and small. It scared her. Though Tony always referred to her as the strong ninja chick, she always felt that he was the strong one. If truth be told, it was what made them the perfect partners.

It was once again morning and DiNozzo had been in surgery for hours now. The waiting was getting harder and harder for everyone. However, Dr. Pitt finally walked out of the operation room, covered in blood, Tony's blood.

"How is he, Brad," Ducky asked?

"Agent DiNozzo will once again have to overcome the plague," Dr. Pitt began to explain. "I am afraid the Y. Pestis is back. As I told you before, the smallest cold or pneumonia would cause his lungs to become severely infected because they do not work as well as yours and mine. Being in the cold and wet sewer for several days was not all that did the damage. Looking over his body, I found several bites and claw marks from the rats, which Ducky explained to me they came from rats. The wounds became infected and as you can imagine, rats are very unclean animals. He's lost a lot of blood because of them, as well as from a pretty serious head wound. He was hit pretty hard over the head at one point. He's got a concussion. On top of all that, I also found that a few of his ribs were broken. Luckily, they weren't too bad, but hanging from his wrists for that long certainly didn't help him."

Gibbs sighed and interrupted saying, "I just want to know that he's going to be all right, Doc. Is Tony strong enough to fight it again?"

Dr. Pitt shook his head and replied softly, "The survival rate of someone surviving the pneumonic plague was fifteen percent. I wish that I had better news, but for Tony to have to do it again, his chances are very slim. I'm so sorry."

Both Abby and Ziva had tears running down their faces. Tim, Jimmy, Ducky, and Tobias just stood there with their heads lowered to their chests and sorrow on their faces. Gibbs was angrier than anyone had ever seen him. He let go of Abby, turned toward the wall closest to him and punched a hole through it.

"I'm sorry, Brad," Gibbs said as her turned back to his friends. "Plague is not the only thing that is trying to kill him. If word gets out that we found him and he survived, the contract that's out for him will send more scum out who will want to finish him off. I want two security officers posted at his door at all times once he is moved in. No one is to go in or out expect for those of us who are standing right here. In the meantime, we need to find Prince Sayif and a way to make him pay for what he's done. Ziva, were you able to locate him?"

"Yes, Gibbs," she answered. "Right now, he and his family are staying in Monte Carlo. Do you plan on talking to Director Vance about going after him?"

"There is no need for you to ask my permission," Director Vance said as he walked over to his head team from the agency. "I overheard everything the doctor said about Agent DiNozzo's condition. I give you permission to do whatever it takes, short of murdering the man, to bring him in. However, if he causes trouble, I wouldn't mind if that happened either. DiNozzo and I may not get along all the time, but he is still my agent and a friend."

Gibbs looked at Vance and responded, "Thank you, Leon. I need to ask you another favor. I need you and Tobias to question Tony's father for information about anyone else who is involved. Make sure that he and everyone else pays for what they've done. Also, the boss of the Baltimore Police Department needs to pay for not helping us during our search for Tony. Tobias will explain everything."

Fornell shook his head as the Director replied, "You've got it. Good luck, Jethro."

After Fornell and Director Vance left the hospital, Gibbs turned to the rest of his team and said, "Duck, I would like you to stay here with Tony. Take care of him for me. Abby and Palmer, you can stay too."

"Of course, Jethro," Ducky answered. "We will help him. Go and get justice for our Anthony."

"Go and get them, Gibbs," Abby added. "They can't do this to Tony and get away with it. If you need me to take care of them for you and leave no evidence behind, I can; I will."

Gibbs kissed the top of her head and said, "That won't be necessary, Abs. If anyone gets to kill them, it's going to be me. Take care of yourselves. Ziva, you, Tim, and I are taking the next flight to Monte Carlo. Tim, I need you to book us on the flight."

McGee nodded and replied, "On it, Boss."

Ziva and McGee walked out of the hospital to get ready for the very long flight to Monte Carlo, where they hoped that Prince Omar would allow them to take his son into custody without too many problems. Both of them feared that they wouldn't get the chance to see Tony again alive, but it was important to leave right away. If they didn't, Sayif might disappear if he discovers that NCIS knows of his involvement.

Gibbs walked over to Dr. Pitt and asked, "I'd like to see Tony before we leave; would that be all right?"

Dr. Pitt nodded and replied, "Of course, Agent Gibbs. If you'll follow me. I had him moved to where he was the first time he went through this. I will do all I can to make him as comfortable as possible."

Tony was once again in the room with the fluorescent blue lights that worked on killing the virus running through his system. Gibbs saw that he was hooked up to several machines, ivs coming from both of his arms, and there was a tube hooked up to his nose that helped him to breathe.

As Gibbs walked over to the side of his bed, he thought Tony was unconscious, but as he reached out to grab a hold of his hand, Tony stirred and opened his eyes to look at the man who was his mentor.

Tony slowly and painfully spoke saying, "I knew you would find me in time, Boss."

Gibbs smiled and answered, "Always, DiNozzo; always."

"It's happening again, isn't it," Tony asked. "The plague is back."

"I need you to listen to me, Tony," Gibbs replied. "I gave you an order the last time. The same goes for now. You will not die. Do you understand me? You have too much to live for. We need you."

Tony nodded, but before he could respond, he began to cough uncontrollably and doubled over in pain. Gibbs helped him roll over onto his side, making his breathing a little easier, as Dr. Pitt ran in to take over. The doctor pushed the marine out of his way as Ducky came in to help him take care of Tony.

Gibbs backed up and left the room with more determination to catch the men responsible for harming one of his family. He went home to change, but before he left to head for the hanger, he made one phone call. He wanted one more person at the hospital that would be strong enough to push Tony through this while he was gone.

When the other line picked up, Gibbs said, "Hello, Dad. I'm sorry to call you so early, but I need your help."


	15. Chapter 15

Whatever It Takes

Chapter Fifteen

Once Jackson Gibbs hung up the phone after talking with his son, he called for a cab to come pick him up and take him the hospital, where he would help to take care of the young agent whom Jethro regarded as a son. Jackson realized that it took a lot for his son to overcome the loss of his wife and daughter, but it was because of his team that he did; Tony, Ziva, Abby, Tim, and Ducky. To lose Tony now would cause Jethro to run into hiding again, as he did after the incident where he was nearly killed during the explosion years ago, because he would feel like he failed his agent and team.

Jackson made it to Bethesda Hospital later that afternoon. Gibbs, Ziva, and McGee had already left on the earliest flight out to Monte Carlo. Once Jackson arrived, he met up with Abby just outside of the door to Tony's room. She ran over into the older man's arms and they stayed that way until Ducky and Jimmy walked out to join them.

Jackson asked, "So, how is the boy doing?"

Ducky replied, "Not very well, I am afraid. He has a very hard struggle ahead of him, but I have seen him beat all odds. If anyone can beat the plague twice, it's Tony."

"My son did not explain much of what happened," Jackson said. "How long was he in that filthy sewer for and who did this? I take it that Jethro is on his way to take care of him right now; otherwise he'd be here instead of me. I can tell how much Tony and the rest of you mean to him."

"You're right," Abby replied. "But Gibbs needs to bring the prince down in order to know that Tony is going to be taken care of. If he doesn't, the contract on his head will never end."

Jackson asked, "A prince put a contract out on Agent DiNozzo's head? But why would he do that?"

Jimmy responded, "It's because Tony's father conned Prince Sayif's father out of a lot of money for a business that never took off and he never gave it back. Sayif took it as an insult to his family's honor and was willing to pay a large amount of money to anyone who could kill Tony to make DiNozzo Sr. pay for his mistake."

"Tony's father seemed so nice when he was here," Abby added. "But it turns out he's nothing, but a liar and a con man."

"He fooled all of us, my dear," Ducky said.

"Does Tony know of his father's involvement, yet," Jackson asked?

Jimmy shook his head and replied, "Not yet. Gibbs wanted to be the one to talk to him about it. We all agree that he would take it best coming from him. Tony's a good man. I don't understand how he can come from someone like that. He doesn't deserve this."

Abby responded, "I don't understand why Tony couldn't tell us he was in trouble. If he did, we would have been able to protect him. I mean, Gibbs, McGee, and Ziva would have."

Ducky looked at Abby and answered, "He didn't tell us, My Dear, because he wanted to protect us. That is how he is. That is why he and Jethro are so close. Because they are so much alike; stubborn and self-sacrificing."

"Why don't the three of you go home and get some sleep," Jackson said after a few minutes of silence between them. "You've all been here since last night and I am sure that you didn't get much sleep while he was missing. I can look after him for awhile. It was what my son called me after all."

"He also brought you here because despite what the two of you think, you and Jethro have that same stubbornness Tony needs right now," Ducky said. "Tony fears letting your son down the most. If he can't be here, you are the right person to be. Come on, Abigail, Mr. Palmer. We'll be back later. Thank you Jackson."

Jackson nodded as he turned to walk into Tony's room. However, the security guards who were standing just outside the door stopped him. Gibbs' orders were that no one was to go into the room except for the NCIS team and Dr. Pitt. Ducky informed them that this man was Agent Gibbs' father and he was asked to come here to stay with Tony for as long as he likes.

The guards apologized and Jackson nodded to Ducky and the others as they walked out of the hospital, while he walked over to the side of Tony's bed and sat down in a chair from the room. He looked at how ill the young man looked and could not believe that he had overcome this disease once before.

Tony was asleep right now and so Jackson sat back in the chair, pulled a book out of his jacket pocket, and began to read aloud. The book was _The Count of Monte Cristo_; Tony's favorite. Jackson remembered him saying so when they came over to his home in Stillwater over a year ago. It was the story of a young man by the name of Edmond Dantes, whose life was torn apart after being accused of being a traitor and betrayed by those whom he thought he could trust. Tony reminded Jackson of that young man. Maybe Tony saw the similarities too, which explained why he loved the book so much.

Meanwhile…

Leon Vance walked into the interrogation room where Anthony DiNozzo Sr. had been waiting since yesterday afternoon and sat down in the chair across from him. Tobias Fornell walked in behind him and stood in the corner, waiting for the Director to make the first move.

Sr. didn't talk. Instead, he just stared at Vance as he said, "So, Mr. DiNozzo. Agent Gibbs and his team found your son, who is currently once again fighting for his life. Because of you, the Y. pestis he barely survived from the first time he had it, redeveloped in his lungs. His chances then, were not good. This time, he was kidnapped and left to die in a cold, wet, and filthy sewer, with already weakened lungs, after having to survive several other attempts on his life. He has a hell of a fight ahead of him, if he can survive at all. My question to you is how could you do something that would put your own son's life in such terrible jeopardy?"

The older man glared at the Director and sharply replied, "I never meant to put my son's life at risk, Director Vance. Despite what you think, I love my son. I had no idea that this would happen."

"Why did you even do something where there was even a possibility that someone would want to hurt Tony because of what you did," Fornell asked?

"I had every intention of paying back the money that Prince Omar gave me," Sr. responded. "Money has been tighter than usual. If you want to blame someone for hurting Tony, try blaming those actually responsible for hurting him. I did nothing wrong. It is not my fault that Prince Sayif was not patient enough. I want to see my son."

Vance said, "That isn't going to happen. Who else is involved in what happened?"

Anthony answered, "I do not know of anyone else who is involved."

"Prince Sayif sent someone to kill Tony's kidnapper and Tony as well," Fornell responded. "Luckily for you, he decided to let him be. Who did Sayif send?"

"I swear to you, I do not know," Sr. said. "All I know is that Sayif kidnapped my son. He called me and sent me the picture in my email that made it look like my son was dead. That is all. Now, I want my lawyer."

"I'll get you your lawyer, Mr. DiNozzo," Director Vance replied. "But do not expect him to save you. I assure you that Agent Gibbs and the rest of us will make sure you go away for the rest of your life. Goodbye."


	16. Chapter 16

Whatever It Takes

Chapter Sixteen

Thirteen hours later…

Gibbs, McGee, and Ziva finally landed at an airstrip in Monte Carlo. Once they got off the plane, they saw that a car and members of the law enforcement there were waiting for them as they asked for ahead of time. Ziva and McGee walked behind Gibbs as they walked over to the man who was in charge of the department.

Neither one of them slept much while on the plane. They were too worried about Tony. They wanted to be there with him to help him get through this, but they knew the importance of their mission here. They were also just as worried about what was going to happen once they caught up to Prince Sayif. Diplomatic immunity protected a lot of foreign political figures, even from crimes such as murder.

As Gibbs reached the official, he spoke saying, "I'm Special Agent Gibbs and these are my colleagues, Special Agent Ziva David and Special Agent Tim McGee. We're with NCIS. I know that you are going to do all you can to try to convince me not to go talk to Prince Omar and his son, Sayif, but the man put a contract on one of my agent's life and very nearly killed him a number of times. If we don't take him in, my agent's life will continue to be in jeopardy. I won't let that happen."

The official nodded his head and answered, "I understand your devotion to your man, Agent Gibbs. If one of my men's life were at stake as yours is, I would fight for him just as hard as you. I will not try to stop you from going to talk to Prince Omar and Sayif or stop you from making the arrest as long as the laws are followed. However, if you can't take him lawfully, I will be obligated to stop you. Good luck to you. I don't like it when politicians hide behind diplomatic immunity either."

"Thank you, Lieutenant…" Gibbs stated.

"Lieutenant Parsons, Agent Gibbs," the man responded. "I'll lead you to the princes' home. Follow me."

Gibbs, Ziva, McGee, Lieutenant Parsons, and his men pulled up outside the gate, which surrounded the home belong to Prince Omar and his sons. The lieutenant rang the intercom and after a few minutes, they were waiting inside the living room for Prince Omar to walk in. However, the first people to walk in were Prince Sayif and his younger brother, Prince Abdalla.

Abdalla walked over Gibbs and eagerly shook the marine's hand when it was extended to him. The youngest prince liked and respected agent Gibbs ever since he was put in charge of protecting his family. However, the look on Sayif's face was hard and cold, but he kept quiet. Gibbs just glared at the man who tried to have DiNozzo killed. He wanted to kill Sayif.

"Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs," Prince Omar said as he walked in the room. "It is a pleasure to see you again and in my country this time. How wonderful! Although, I am a bit surprised. You didn't seem to be much of a vacationing man."

"It is good to see you again too, Omar," Gibbs replied. "I am afraid that I am not here for a vacation. I'm here on official business; to arrest your son, Sayif."

Sayif's eyes narrowed, but he remained silent as his father asked, "What has my son done to get you to come all the way out here for him?"

Gibbs looked away from Omar and looked over at Sayif as he replied, "Sayif put out a contract on Agent DiNozzo because his father conned you into giving him money for a business that never took off and shamed your family name. Tony was kidnapped a few days ago by two men who responded to the contract and left to die in a freezing, filthy sewer and full of rats. Luckily we found him in time, but there's still a very real chance that he will die from Y. pestis; pneumonic plague."

"Agent Gibbs, I am very sorry for what happened to your agent," Omar responded. "But what makes you think my son had anything to do with it? He was angry about what my friend, Anthony DiNozzo did to our family, but I assure you that he would never do something so terrible."

"Because of this contract, Tony had to defend himself against an unknown number of attacks against him," Ziva said. "We have the email sent from Prince Sayif saying that he will pay $10,000 to whoever can kill him. We also have the email sent to DiNozzo Sr.'s father showing a picture of Tony, which shows him looking dead and word from DiNozzo Sr. that Sayif called him to inform him his son was dead."

Sayif spoke p for the first time saying, "How dare you come here to accuse me of these preposterous acts! You have no proof that I did anything wrong. Anthony DiNozzo is known to be a liar. You cannot possibly get a judge to give you extradition papers based on his testimony alone. Besides, you cannot arrest me; diplomatic immunity. You cannot take me from my country and charge me with anything. That man is a cheating good-for-nothing conman, who deserves to rot, along with his worthless son. I didn't put out the order, but I am glad someone did."

Omar stepped between Gibbs and Sayif when Gibbs moved toward him and turned to his son while saying, "Sayif, enough! I am praying to God that Gibbs is wrong, but I also can see in his eyes that he believes you are guilty and after hearing what you just said, I am inclined to agree with him. Now Agent Gibbs, do you have any evidence that proves Sayif is guilty?"

"Unfortunately, the emails and the phone number were unable to be traced," McGee explained. "But, if you allow us to search your home for the phone used, we can match the numbers up. Then, we will have proof."

"Then, you have my permission to search my home," Omar agreed. "And Agent Gibbs, if you find what you are looking for, what would you to do to my son? I cannot lose him despite what he has done."

"He has to pay for hurting Tony, Omar," Gibbs replied. "Believe me, I know how it feels to lose someone I care about very much. I lost my daughter and if Tony dies, I will lose a son. Tony deserves justice."


	17. Chapter 17

Whatever It Takes

Chapter Seventeen

Once Prince Omar gave Gibbs and his team permission to search his home, McGee and Ziva walked away from Gibbs and Omar and began their search in the study in which they stood. Gibbs continued to talk to Omar, who was getting more worried as time passed. He saw the fire in Gibbs' eyes and he couldn't help but feel that the marine was right about Sayif.

Ziva walked out of the room after searching the book shelves and the cabinet drawers for any sign of phone or other evidence that would link Sayif to the numerous attempts on Tony's life. She was just as angry as Gibbs was. The incident in Somalia had been a while ago and even though she and Tony had put what happened between them behind them, they were still working on putting their friendship back together as it was before. Ziva found that she cared about Tony on a much deeper level than before, ever since he had proved to her that he would die, either to protect her or to avenge her.

McGee searched Sayif's room. After looking in all of the cabinets and on all of the shelves, he came across a laptop that was tucked away in his closet. He pulled it out and walked out to where Gibbs was searching through the papers piled on the kitchen counters, as well as the drawers in the cabinets.

"Boss, I found a laptop in Sayif's closet," Tim said. "He probably already ditched the phone he used to make the call to Tony's father, but I'd say that chances are good the we'll find proof of the emails sent out. This laptop was hidden."

"Hey," Sayif shouted when he saw the younger agent begin to set up his computer! "You can't search that without permission. What is on my computer is of no concern to you."

Gibbs looked over at Sayif and asked, "Are you worried that we'll find something you don't want us to? Your father gave us the permission to search everywhere. That includes this laptop. What do you got, McGee?"

McGee responded, "It looks like just the usual type of things you would find on other laptops; junk mail, letters and emails from friends and family, even porn. I don't see… Wait a minute. I just found several encrypted emails inside some photos. It will take me some time to crack the encryption, Boss."

"Work fast, Tim," Gibbs replied as he turned to Omar and Sayif. "Now is the time for you to come clean, Sayif. Something tells me that McGee is about to find exactly what we came here for. Omar, will you allow us to take him back to face the penalties for his actions? Please!"

"What would happen to him," Omar asked? "Will your government execute my son?"

Sayif shouted, "I have diplomatic immunity, which means that you cannot touch me! You cannot possibly be considering letting them take me in, father. I am your son."

Gibbs replied, "It sounds to me like you are confessing, Sayif. Are you?"

Sayif turned his head away as McGee said, "Boss, I got it! The email to DiNozzo Sr. and the contract put on Tony. It's all here. We've got him."

"Agent Gibbs, I ask you to be lenient on my son," Omar begged. "What he did was wrong and I am so sorry about what happened to Agent DiNozzo, but please do not let your government kill my son. I am begging you!"

"I am begging for my brother too, Agent Gibbs," the youngest son said as he and Ziva walked into the kitchen.

"I will recommend that Sayif go to a secure facility, where he will be well protected and taken care of for the rest of his life on one condition," Gibbs answered. "That he tell us who the person is that he sent to kill the man who kidnapped Agent DiNozzo and finish him off. We know that that man and a friend of his threatened to blackmail you for more money and that you had him killed to keep him quiet. Who is it?"

Omar turned to Sayif and asked, "Who did you send? Please tell them. I do not want to lose you, Sayif, but what you did is terrible and must be punished. I am angry at what Anthony did to our family as much as you are. The man was my friend, but his son had nothing to do with his actions. I am asking you to make things right and save your life. Tell them what they need to know."

Sayif replied, "I am not sorry for what I have done. Someone had to pay. It should have been your agent's father, but I did not know he did not care for his own son. If I had, I would have had him killed instead. Anthony DiNozzo is a coward. Hopefully, he will pay while in prison."

"Sayif, if you will not do it for our father, please tell them for me," Prince Abdalla said. "I do not want to see you die. You are my brother."

"The man you are looking for is CIA Agent Trent Kort," Sayif said as he lowered his head. "He owed me a favor for something I did for him long ago."

Gibbs' eyes hardened as both Ziva and McGee looked over at their boss. Gibbs walked over to Sayif, turned him around, and handcuffed his hands behind his back. He pushed the prince over to Ziva and McGee, who continued to guide Sayif out to the car they were going to drive back to the airstrip, where they would catch a flight back to D.C.

Gibbs then turned his head to face Prince Omar and said, "I promise that I will keep my word. Your son will spend the rest of his life in a protected cell. McGee, read Sayif his rights."

McGee nodded and replied, "Prince Sayif, you are under arrest for conspiracy to commit murder of NCIS Agent Tony DiNozzo. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be held against you in the court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you by the court of law. I have a feeling that you can afford the best attorney money can buy."

"Gibbs, Kort will be extremely difficult to find," Ziva said to Gibbs as she and McGee walked back over to him. He knows how to be invisible and even if we find him, there is no way we will be able to arrest him. The CIA will never allow it. Kort has hated Tony ever since they met and was just waiting for the perfect opportunity to get rid of him. He cannot get away with this."

"I know," Gibbs responded as he kissed Ziva on her head and pat Tim on his shoulder. "We will deal with that once we get back. I promise you both that Kort will not get away with leaving Tony to die. I will not let him!"


	18. Chapter 18

Whatever It Takes

Chapter Eighteen

The next day back at Bethesda Hospital in Washington D.C…

Jackson had left the hospital about nine hours ago to get some sleep, while Ducky and Abby came back to watch over Tony. Jackson just returned and began to head down the hallway leading to Tony's room. As he did, he saw a man in a dark jacket and baseball cap walking from the other direction and stop right in front of the security officers with a gun pointing straight at them.

Jackson stopped and watched as the man with the gun ordered the security officers to lower their weapons and walk slowly into Tony's room. Jackson was about to run back to the desk around the corner when he saw one of the security officers walk right back out and run down the hall toward him and the desk, as he called for help over his radio.

As he finally reached the room, Jackson found the second officer bending over the man in the cap and jacket, who was now lying face down with his hands cuffed behind his back. Ducky was standing next to Tony's bed, consoling Abby as she cried softly on the doctor's shoulder.

"What on earth happened," Jackson asked?

"Oh, Mr. Gibbs, it is just awful," Abby replied as she turned toward Gibbs' father. "I just knocked this creep out as he tried to kill Tony. It is terrible! I can't believe another person just tried. When is this going to end? Tony doesn't deserve this. If I hadn't have walked out of the bathroom when I did, Tony and Ducky would have been dead now. I could have been too late."

Ducky responded, "Abigail, slow down. Tony is all right and so are the rest of us. You did well."

Jackson said, "I can't believe that this man was crazy enough to walk into a hospital room guarded by two security officers to try to kill a federal agent. Why would he do that?"

"The human mind is a puzzle," Ducky responded. "The greed for money can sometimes overpower a man's common sense."

Just then, the other security officer ran back into the room, followed by Dr. Pitt, who ran over to where Tony lay on the bed and with Ducky's help, checked Tony's vitals and made sure that all of the machines were still working properly.

Dr. Pitt turned to Ducky, Abby, and Jackson and said, "Thank goodness you all were here. It looks like this man didn't even have a chance. What happened?"

"I hit the guy with the plunger from the bathroom," Abby answered. "I heard a voice order the security guards to walk slowly into the room and to get down on the floor. I knew that I needed to do something, or whoever this guy is would have killed Tony. So, I grabbed the plunger, came out of the bathroom behind the guy and hit him with the plunger. The security guards finished him off. You're going to prison for the rest of your life, you scumbag!"

About an hour later, Gibbs, Ziva, McGee, and Director Vance walked into Tony's room to find Jackson reading a book out loud, while Ducky, Jimmy, and Abby listened. They saw the four of them sitting on both sides of Tony's bed. Abby jumped up and wrapped her arms around Gibbs, who hugged her back. Then, she quickly did the same to Ziva and McGee, who responded in the same manner.

"How is Tony doing, Ducky," asked Gibbs? "Is he going to be all right?"

"He has made it for almost three days," Ducky replied. "But, I am afraid he is not any better than before. However, he is certainly fighting it like he did years ago. Dr. Pitt put him into a medically induced coma to help with the pain so that he can get more rest than what he was getting. I still can't tell you if he'll be ok yet. I'm sorry."

Everyone looked down at Tony, who was in a very uncomfortable sleep. His lips and finger tips were blue, his eyes were closed tightly as if in pain, and his body trembled as it fought through the raging fever. He looked terrible.

Abby looked at Gibbs in the eyes and asked, "Did you get Prince Sayif, Gibbs? Please tell me you got him."

McGee answered first saying, "We got him Abs. He will go to prison for the rest of his life, along with Tony's father and everyone else who tried to kill him. They are already on their way to their new homes. We just have one more person to track down."

"Who else is involved," Jimmy asked? "How many people are really involved?"

"Trent Kort was the one who Sayif hired to kill Tony and Frank," Gibbs said. Apparently, Kort owed Sayif a favor and asked him to finish the job. Kort told him that he killed Frank and then killed Tony, but instead he left him to die slowly and painfully; revenge for whatever happened between them during the La Grenouille disaster."

Director Vance responded, "I have already contacted SecNav to see about locating Kort, but as I am sure you all know, Kort will not be easy to find and it won't be easy to convict him for murder and whatever other charge we can stick him with for leaving Agent DiNozzo alone."

"We already know that," Gibbs replied. "It doesn't mean that we aren't going to do everything we can to do so, though. I want his head."

"We'll do what we can," Vance responded. "By the way, the head of the Baltimore Police Department stepped down after getting pressure put on him from many sides. One of the detectives who joined you in the search, Garrett Swint, is the new captain as of a few hours ago."

Gibbs looked at the director and said, "Thank you, Leon. Detective Swint deserved it for what he did."

After the director left the room, Abby walked over to Gibbs and said, "You will find Kort and make him pay for hurting Tony, won't you Gibbs?"

"Yes, Abby," Gibbs answered. "I promise you, I will no matter what happens."


	19. Chapter 19

Whatever It Takes

Chapter Nineteen

Just over four weeks later…

Ziva sat alone by Tony's bedside. It was the middle of the night and everyone else on the team was at home asleep, except for Gibbs. He had disappeared days ago without giving word to anyone about where he was going, as far as they knew. Each of them had been working hard on the cases given to them during the days and if they weren't at work, they were here.

Dr. Pitt had taken Tony off the drugs that kept him in the coma days ago, but he had yet to wake up. His fever had finally broken, the blue in his lips and on his fingertips disappeared, and the trembling became less and less as the days went on. Tony was already at home taking it easy within the fourth week when he was sick before. As everyone expected, this time around was much worse, but it didn't make it any easier to see him this way, especially for Ziva.

She was scared for Tony. Like Gibbs, she wanted to see Tony's father, as well as everyone else responsible for this to pay. She didn't understand why Sayif would go through all this trouble to kill Tony, just to try to hurt his father for something so small and insignificant. However, her own father had a tendency to hold a grudge for things such as this as well, though things didn't blow so far out of control.

Ziva didn't cry often, but she was doing so now. In fact, the last time that she did was in Somalia almost a year ago when she saw Tony tied to the chair in front of her. She was relieved to see him again after hurting him so badly, but she was also afraid that he would die trying to protect her. Now, she watched her partner fight to live from an invisible force that no one else could help him with.

She stood up from her chair to stretch her legs, when she suddenly turned around to the sound of someone walking into the room. It was Gibbs. Ziva wiped the tears from her eyes and cheeks and smiled as he walked over toward the bed.

As he did so, he asked, "How is he doing? How are you doing?"

Ziva answered, "I am fine. Tony's fever has finally broken, but he has not woken up yet. What about you? Where have you been?"

"I needed to find Kort," Gibbs replied. "I got a lead on where he was staying and needed to leave immediately. I informed Vance of my plans from the air and Kort is no longer going to be a problem for Tony."

"Did you kill him," she asked?

Gibbs looked down at Tony and responded, "He left me no choice. I planned on bringing him in thanks to some strings that Vance pulled with SecNav. Kort and I fought and I had to kill him, end of story. I don't feel bad about it though."

Ziva nodded and said, "You did what all of us wished we could do. I am sure that Director Vance will have to face some consequences for what happened."

"He'll deal with it just as he deals with everything else," Gibbs replied.

Just then, Tony stirred and opened his eyes. Both Gibbs and Ziva pulled up a chair on each side of his bed as he looked up at them. Ziva took ahold of his hand, while Gibbs placed a comforting hand on Tony's shoulder.

Gibbs was the first to speak as he asked, "Tony, how are you feeling? Can I get you something?"

Tony slowly shook his head and answered, "I'm fine, Boss. Have I missed anything? Is everyone all right?"

"We're fine, DiNozzo," Gibbs replied. "It's good to see you awake finally. You've been sleeping way too long."

"Yes," Ziva added. "McGee, Abby, Jimmy, and Ducky have all been worried about you."

"And you weren't, Ziva," Tony asked? "Come on, you must have been worried a little bit. You don't have to admit it. I know you were."

Ziva leaned down to kiss Tony on his forehead and responded, "Yes, Tony. I was worried very much. Despite your childish ways and your incessant movie quotes, I missed you. Do not worry us again or I will kill you myself."

Gibbs smiled and said, "Not if I kill him first. You hurry up and get better; before McGee gets used to being senior field agent. Ziva, are you staying?"

She replied, "I think I will go home to try to get some sleep. I think that I will be able to do so better tonight. Goodnight!"

Ziva smiled and walked out of the room. Gibbs turned back to Tony and watched as he closed his eyes and then reopened them. Gibbs asked him if was in pain and Tony stated that the pain was not bad. Gibbs picked up the button that pumped the morphine into Tony's system, but Tony reached out and stopped him from doing so.

"I'd rather you didn't do that, Boss," Tony said. "I've been sleeping long enough and the longer I am on the drugs, the longer I will be stuck here. I'm tired of feeling weak. Did you find out who kidnapped me?"

"Yeah, Tony," Gibbs answered. "We found out about everything, including the multiple murder attempts against you. You should have told us you were in trouble. We could have protected you."

Tony turned away and replied, "I couldn't tell you. Our team has been through too much already. I couldn't be responsible for someone else getting hurt because of me again; first Jenny, then Ziva. I wasn't going to let that happen again."

Gibbs responded, "Tony, as I've told you several times. You are not responsible for what happened to Jenny or Ziva. They both made the choices they did that got them into trouble. Jenny gave you orders to stay away and Ziva chose to be with Rivkin and stay behind with her father. You did what you could to protect her. Eventually, she saw her mistakes and came back to us. You did nothing wrong!"

"You're avoiding answering my original question, Boss," Tony said. "Did you find everyone responsible?"

"We found everyone who tried to kill you before you were kidnapped, as well as the two men who were responsible for the kidnapping," Gibbs answered. "We found out that someone put a contract on your head and two guys wanted more money. Then, we discovered that Trent Kort killed one of the guys to keep him from blackmailing the man responsible for the contract."

Tony looked at Gibbs in the eyes and replied, "There's something you're not telling me. What is it?"

Gibbs responded as he took ahold of Tony's hand, "Prince Sayif was the one who put the contract on your head. We found out that when your father went to Monte Carlo for a visit, he conned Prince Omar into investing a large amount of money into a new business that never took off. Your father never paid him back and Sayif felt that your father shamed him and his family. He put out the contract on you in hopes of making your father pay for his mistake. Tony, your father is in prison and he will be for the rest of his life."

Tony turned away and quietly replied, "I knew that my father was a lot of things, but I never thought he would do something like this. I am so sorry."

"Tony, listen to me," Gibbs said as he watched Tony close his eyes and tears begin to fall down his face. "Your father is responsible for this, not you. You are not to take any blame for this. Just because you are his son, does not mean you are responsible for his actions. Do you hear me?"

"I hear you," Tony answered. "What will happen to him?"

Gibbs replied, "He will remain in a protected prison cell for the rest of his life. I won't allow him to get away with anything less. He crossed the line the moment he found out about you being kidnapped and did not report it to anyone."

Tony looked at Gibbs and said, "I won't argue or try to fight you on this Gibbs. I am tired of trying to protect or defend him and I won't let him try to hurt anyone else with one of his cons. Can you do me a favor? Tell Prince Omar that I am sorry for what my father did to him and that I will work to pay him back the money my father stole."

"We will find another way to pay him back," Gibbs responded. "Your father's house and possessions should cover it. Get some sleep now, Tony. I will be here when you wake up."

After a few minutes, Tony was asleep and Gibbs sat back in his chair. The marine looked down at his protégé and smiled. He was proud of the man before him. He was proud to be able to see him as his son and right now Tony needed a father. Gibbs made a promise to himself that he would be there for him as he always was.


	20. Chapter 20

Whatever It Takes

Chapter Twenty

Four weeks later…

"Agent Gibbs, is it true that Agent Anthony DiNozzo had a contract put on his head," a defense lawyer asked the NCIS agent on the stand inside a courtroom?

"Yes, as I have mentioned before, Prince Sayif Ibn Alwaan was the man who put the contract on is head," Gibbs answered. "If you are going to ask why Anthony DiNozzo Sr. is sitting in that seat, it's because he is the one created this entire mess. He stole…"

DiNozzo Sr.'s lawyer interrupted, "Please just stick to my questions, Agent Gibbs. Now, is it true that you here to testify against my client on behalf of his son, regarding the indirect attempted manslaughter charge against him?"

Gibbs replied, "Yes. Mr. DiNozzo was indirectly responsible for my agent nearly getting killed three times, then being kidnapped and left to die in a cold, dark, filthy sewer for almost four days. Because of that, Tony once again came very close to dying from a relapse of the pneumonic plague. DiNozzo Sr. found out about his son being kidnapped and failed to report it to anyone. We were lucky that we found Agent DiNozzo in time to save his life. If we didn't, we would have had to bury him and your client would be facing a manslaughter charge instead. Although, I would have fought for the charge to have been murder instead."

"So Agent Gibbs, you admit that my client had no idea until days later that his son was in any danger," the defense lawyer asked?

"You heard what I said and so did the jury," Gibbs said. "Your client belongs in prison for the rest of his life. He is after all being charged for a number of other crimes as well."

The lawyer replied, "Yes, I am aware. If I may be bold, why isn't Agent DiNozzo here to testify himself? From what I understand, he has been home over a week now, am I right?"

The prosecutor cut in saying, "Objection, Your Honor!"

"Does he disagree with sending his father to prison, or is he too much of a coward to face his father after trying to charge him with this ridiculous crime," the lawyer finished.

Gibbs stood up with fire in his eyes and was about to yell at the man who stood in front of him for the things he just said about Tony, until suddenly someone else spoke up before he could. Gibbs became worried, but also very impressed with his agent, who slowly approached the front of the courtroom with help from Ziva.

"I don't disagree with sending my father to prison, Your Honor," Tony said as he reached the front of the room. "And I am not a coward to face him either. My father's actions, not only put my life at risk, but also those of my team. He shamed Prince Omar and his family when he conned them out of a lot money for a new business, which never took off. My father stole from them after they graciously invited him into their home. I do not condone Prince Sayif's actions, but I do not blame him for being angry with my father. This is not the first time my father allowed his cons to become out of control either. He deserves to be punished for the pain he has caused."

Gibbs and the rest of his team, as well as the Director, all smiled when Tony finished speaking. Tony looked away from the judge and jury to look at his father sitting down in the defendant's chair. The man looked angry, but Tony knew he was doing the right thing. Gibbs was right. His father needed to be stopped from doing something like this again.

The prosecutor smiled as well when he looked over to see the disappointment on the defense lawyer's face. He knew that the man had just realized that he had just lost his case. Neither one of them was expecting Agent DiNozzo to walk in, but the Prosecutor was glad that he had.

"Thank you, Agent DiNozzo, for your comments," the judge said after a few minutes. "Do you have anything else you would like to add?"

"No, Your Honor," Tony replied as he began to feel dizzy and lifted his hand to the bridge of his nose. "I don't… I…"

Before he could finish, Tony suddenly collapsed and Gibbs ran over to him, as did the rest of his team. Gibbs knelt down and placed the upper half of Tony's body across his lap, while Ducky knelt down on his other side to look him over. Tony lifted his hand to his head again and then looked into the eyes of his friends.

"I am sorry, Gibbs," Ziva said. "I know that I was supposed to make sure he was at home resting, but he insisted that he needed to be here. He said he was all right."

"Tony always says he's fine, no matter how he really feels," Gibbs responded as he looked up at Ziva. "You know that."

Tony lowered his hand and replied, "Don't be angry with her, Boss. I asked her to bring me here. I threatened her I'd quote Napoleon Dynamite over and over until she did. She hates it when I do that."

Gibbs laughed as he turned to Ducky and asked, "How is he Ducky?"

"He will be fine as long as he gets the rest that he needs," the doctor answered. "He just overworked himself. I suggest someone brings him back home, or better yet, it may be a good idea for him to stay with someone who will actually make him rest. I doubt he will do it on his own."

"DiNozzo, you're staying at my place until you're better," Gibbs replied.

"But, Boss, I…" Tony started.

"No buts, DiNozzo," Gibbs cut in. "I'd give you a head slap if it weren't for you feeling like crap, but know that I will if you don't listen to us from now on. Now, up you go. Tim, Ziva, I want the two of you to escort Tony and Ducky there. Abby and Palmer, you should go with them. I will be home as soon as I am done here."

Everyone nodded as they helped Tony stand and Abby replied, "Sure thing, Boss Man!"

Gibbs watched as they all left the courtroom and turned back to the judge, who then asked the agent to take his seat back on the stand. Gibbs did so and then returned to his seat behind the prosecutor's chair to wait for the jury's verdict.

About three hours later, Gibbs and Director Vance walked in to find Ziva, Tim, Abby, Ducky, and Jimmy sitting down eating pizza. They turned to look at Gibbs, who nodded and walked into his guest bedroom where he figured Tony was resting. Tony was lying down on the bed, but Gibbs could tell that he was not asleep.

"Did the jury decide what was going to happen to my dad," he asked as Gibbs sat down on the edge of his bed?

"Yeah, Tony," Gibbs answered. "They found him guilty on all charges because you were brave enough to tell the truth. Your father will be in prison for the rest of his life. I'm proud of you, Anthony; as I always have been."

Tony looked away and replied, "Thanks, Boss."

Gibbs nodded and asked, "Did you have some pizza with everyone already?"

"Nah," Tony responded. "I'm not exactly hungry. Not even for pizza. Who would've thought?"

"You're going to be back to normal in no time," Gibbs said. "And once you are back at work, you need to try not to get sick again. Ducky said that your lungs are even weaker than they were before."

Tony looked at his boss again and begged, "Gibbs, please don't take me off of being senior field agent. This job is all I have. You guys are all I have. Please!"

Gibbs answered, "Tony, you're the best young agent I have ever worked with. I told your father so the first time we met. I don't plan on taking you off of my team or demoting you. I'm not going to allow Vance to do it either. However, you need to make sure that you don't take as many risks. I won't lose you."

"Thank you, Gibbs," Tony said as he smiled at the man who was his mentor. "Can I call you Leroy or Jethro like Ducky?"

"Not in this lifetime, Tony," Gibbs responded. "It's good to have you back!"

Gibbs patted Tony on his legs, stood up, and walked out of the room. Tony rolled over and fell asleep a few minutes later. Gibbs walked back out to into the kitchen, pulled out a beer from his fridge for everyone, and sat down. Things were finally starting to get back as it once was. Even though he had a father, Gibbs had no one else besides his team. Tony was right that they were all a family and he intended to do whatever it took to make sure that they stayed that way.

The End


	21. Thank You

Thank you to all of those who have read and have written reviews for my stories! They are much appreciated. I'm honored to have you all for fans and I hope to hear from you all again in the future, should you choose to read and enjoy more of my work. Best of wishes to you all!

Sincerely,

Genevieve Kelly


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